


Unspoken Truths

by CagedMunchkin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Post-War, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:35:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29116875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CagedMunchkin/pseuds/CagedMunchkin
Summary: Post-war. The golden trio was facing their final battle when Hermione and Harry came face to face with unspoken truths. How much more will Hermionoe survive in the magical world? More blood than was known to the public was spilled in order to maintain the prestige of a single person.
Relationships: Andromeda Black Tonks & Original Female Character(s), Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Original Female Character(s), Hermione Granger/Andromeda Black Tonks, Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange/Narcissa Black Malfoy/Andromeda Black Tonks, Hermione Granger/Narcissa Black Malfoy, Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter, Narcissa Black Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 87
Kudos: 195





	1. Chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! So, first, I'm deeply sorry for any mistakes, they’re all mines. Be warned that English is not my native language, so please, do forgive me. I hope you all enjoy this beginning, I really needed to use the end of the battle to introduce my idea. The original character is Hermione's lineage change, folks.
> 
> Also, unfortunately, the idea of the magical world and all the respective characters belong to J. K. Rowling. If they were mine, we would certainly have more gay characters.
> 
> Thank you very much for deciding to spend some of your time starting this reading, I sincerely hope you enjoy it!
> 
> PS: just like my life, updates will be messy.

The battlefields are a completely and utterly chaos: screams, pain and desperation everywhere. Smoke and fire and dirty; the nauseating smell of burning flesh and the unpleasant odor of blood. Your body doesn’t stop because you cannot venture be target and die, your brain works in a frenzy of nerves synapses, as if it were getting a shock.

They arrived at the docks and stared in pure horror at their former professor, he was in unbeliever pain, gesturing at his tears to them, covered in blood and bites from the snake, Nagini. Hermione didn’t wasted time and grabbed an empty vial to Harry collect the tears and then she grabbed another vial, one with a stranger liquid inside in a nauseous green color. The girl approached him and gently emptied the vial into his mouth, holding his jaw firmly closed to make sure he swallowed. Professor Snape was dangerously pale and weak, a thin line of sweat on his forehead.

“- Harry, we can’t leave him here! He needs medical care, look at him!” – Hermione said in a worried voice.

“- You know what he did, Hermione, he killed Dumbledore, he’s a traitor!” – Harry replies in countered in anger.

“- I’m with Harry in this Hermione, we certainly can leave him here, Snape would do the same if it was one of us!” – Rony said with his face red in anger, much like his friend.

“- When do you two will open your thick head and accept that not _everything_ is just black and white, for God’s sake?!” – She said with exasperation. “- You what, if you two doesn’t want help me, then I’ll do it alone!” – Hermione said and marched towards the man sitting unconscious on the floor.

“- Fine, I’ll help you, Hermione, but not for him, I will do it for you alone.” – Harry said helping her with the man.

Hermione casts feather-weight spell in Snape and a notice-me-not spell in them and the boys carry him towards the castle without any incidents, much to the girl relief. Once inside, they see the Weasley family falling apart with one of the child lying motionless on the floor.

“- Rony, go to your family, they need you. Harry and I have this.” – Hermione says empathetically, eying the red-hair boy. Ronald ran to his family without answering her, a pained look in his face.

The two of them resumed their task and went towards the headmaster office, making sure to put Snape in a safe position. They started the spells to heal his wounds and the girl emptied a vial of blood replenishment into his mouth. They couldn’t do any more than that. Now, griping the vial with the tears, Harry turns to Hermione and asks:

“- What do you think is this?” – He says with exhaustion.

“- I don’t know, probably some memory, Harry. We need to watch to understand.” – Hermione replies also in exhaustion, sitting on the step of the stairs. The portraits were strangely absence. She watched as Harry took the pensieve and put it in position of use, and then he turned to her and said:

“- All ready, Hermione.” – He says anxiously. She can see his hands trembles, so she takes a deep breath and go towards him. Holding one of his hands, she says:

“- Together, Harry.” – He squeezes her hands in acceptance and they immerse themselves in the memories of their former professor.

**\-------------------------------------------------------**

They emerged from the memories utterly shocked; none of them could think or say anything. Hermione completely broken, she was not expected any of it when she accepted her Hogwarts letter seventeen years ago and her entire life was passing by her eyes searching for where everything “went downhill”. She was feeling fragmented. Harry was looking at her sympathetically although before he could say anything, a terrible and screeching voice sounds loud and clear:

“- Harry Potter, I cannot believe you would continue to let your friends die in your name. Do not forget, that’s your final chance to face me. You still have ten minutes.” – Voldemort’s voice reverberated throughout the castle.

“- Harry, no!” – Hermione desperate voice cut through the tension while her hands grabbed her arms. “- You don’t need to do this, please!” – She was fearful to lose him too.

The boy just gave her a sad smile and hugged her tight while he whispers in her right ear: “- You know I have to do it, Hermione. There’s no other way, you saw it in the memory and even Snape knew it too. Everything will be okay, you don’t have to worry. I love you, Hermione, like the sister that I never had.” – Harry finish with a kiss in her head.

Hermione’s heart was wrecked because she didn’t want to lose anyone else and after everything they went through to survive this stupid and insane war since they was just kids, she couldn’t take anymore although she knew they didn’t have option, so she sucked up, compartmentalized another traumatic experience and moved on.

“- I love you like a brother too, Harry, you know this. How else I would allow you to copy my homework?” – She replies in an attempt to relieve the sadness.

“- Only you could possibly remember it, Hermione.” – Harry said with a sad grin. “-Can you accompany me to the entrance?” – He asks extending his hand to her.

“- Of course I can, Harry.” – She replies while wiping the tears from her face with her bloody hands. “- Come on, let’s go together.” – Hermione says reaching for his hand and gripping it tightly, flashing him a sad smile like his own.

They walked side by side through the castle corridors, the place they consider home with a melancholy anticipating more pain and tragedy on that long night, each remembering all the memories and laughter they shared in the short time they could be just normal kids at school.

Although the castle was extensive, it was not infinite, so eventually they reached at the front door. At this point, Hermione just let her tears runs, she didn’t care to attempt to put a strong face, she was allowed to be sad, her life was falling apart and everything was a painful mess. She lunched herself in Harry’s arms and hugged him as tightly as she could, in a vain attempt to freeze that moment. Gently, Harry undid the hug and turned to go towards the Forbidden Forest. Hermione watched him until he disappeared into view and that was the second most painful thing in his entire life so far.

There was nothing to do but wait for the outcome of what happened in the Forbidden Forest and she couldn’t really handle anyone’s outbreak at that time, so she just sat down on the steps and waited for the next storm.


	2. Confusion

They said that before the storms, there’s a lull, the exact moment when the world goes silent and you can hear everything, a leaf falling, a heartbeat, blood running through veins and you can also see the shift in the air, the way the sun rises cautiously and red. You know when the end is near, you just don’t know what the outcome will be.

Hermione was watching the sunrise when some shapes appeared in her vision, deducing that they were probably Death Eaters by the number of the shapes; she got up quickly when they become clearer. A cacophony of laughter and mockery could be heard throughout the castle and soon everybody was crawled in the front door, waiting for them.

All the Death Eaters remaining and their leader stood still at a reasonable distance between them and the survivors of the Order. Hagrid was among the Death Eaters with chains in her arms and legs; Harry was unconscious in her arms.

“- Are you all seeing this? Look around! All the magical blood that was spilled today, was it worth? Of course not! And you are to blame! Harry Potter is dead. There’s no more fight.” – Voldemort’s voice cut through everyone. The cries were everywhere.

“- Don’t worry though, after all, I am a merciful man. Those purebloods who submit to me right now will be forgiven and all will be forgotten, however, those who not, will face a slow and painful death. To the mudbloods and halfbloods, I’ll personally see every case.” – The detestable voice could be heard again.

“- Draco! Come here, boy.” – Lucius Malfoy said to his son. He did not obey his father.

“- Draco, come.” – A soft voice echoed over the tension. Mrs. Malfoy, Hermione observed, always with her regal posture, even when she was maintaining eye contact while Hermione was being tortured by her older sister.

Sensing eyes on her, Hermione look the right and her eyes locked with the one and only Bellatrix Lestrange, the responsible for her scar. _Mudblood_ could be read in a childish handwriting. She blinked and broke the connection when Draco passed by her. Hermione’s attention was back on her surrounds. Draco e his mother fled towards the Forbidden Forest.

Neville Longbottom walked to the middle and said in a fiery voice how they fight for freedom, friends and family and how Harry didn’t die in vain because the fight would continue until the last of them. He was holding the Sorting Hat and then all hell breaks through. Godric’s sword presented itself to Neville at the same time that Voldemort cast a spell towards the boy. The sword absorbed the whole impact and Harry jumps out of Hagrid’s arms pointing his wand at Voldemort.

Once again, Hermione found herself in the middle of the battlefield, trying to survive and help as many as she could. The girl was using Bellatrix’s wand, which did not respond easily to her commands, her body was drained out from all energy, and she was exhausted although she continually pulled more and more strength.

At one point, everybody frozen in place when a horrific screaming could be heard from everywhere, a sound worse than a banshee. Hermione had to cover her ears with her hands in an attempt to muffle the noise. It didn’t work.

As if someone were pulling a string, all eyes turned to the center of the battle where Harry e Voldemort were dueling. Only one of them remained standing. Nobody could believe it. It was over, the fight finally was over. Harry defeated the Dark Lord and once that information was processed by everyone’s brain, some Death Eaters fled away and some just stayed in the same place, standing there bewildered.

**\-------------------------------------------------------**

Hermione and Harry were standing awkwardly at the entrance of the Great Hall, while all the families hugged and cried. Hermione’s arm was intertwined with Harry’s and she was just happy that he was fine, at least, how well someone can be after everything that happened. She feels she could sleep for a lifetime and it still wouldn’t be enough.

"- Why, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, are you two standing here like a statue?” – The tired voice of professor McGonagall reached their ears.

“- Professor McGonagall, it’s so good to see you!” – They said in unison, Hermione with tears in her eyes, she was so relieved.

“- They just don’t know how to act when they can’t cause any confusion, Minerva.” – A deep and soft voice cut through the air, making all heads turns towards the sound and they were met by the carbon copy of Bellatrix Lestrange, a tall witch with dark hair and dark eyes, although she has slightly lighter eyes than her old sister.

“- Mrs. Tonks!” – Hermione said launching herself in the arms of the older witch, hugging her.

“- Now, Hermione, I already told you to call me Andromeda, or Andy, you know I’m not a Tonks anymore, it’s just Black.” – Andromeda said hugging tight the younger one.

“- I wouldn’t be so sure about Hermione’s name either, Andromeda.” – The voice of professor Snape caught everyone’s attention. Hermione didn’t have time to replied, the Great Hall exploded in outrage towards Snape.

“- What is he doing here?”, “- Someone arrest him!”, “- He deserves Azkaban!”, “- Why isn’t he handcuffed in the corner with the other Death Eaters?!” – All the voices were blended and it was impossible to say who said what.

“- Silence!” - Kingsley Shacklebolt’s voice cut through all the noise and everyone fell at silent.

“- Excellent, now, Harry, if you could please explain everything to us it certainly would be appreciate.” – Shacklebolt asked kindly.

The boy started the explanation telling how the trio found their former professor seriously injured by Nagini, how Hermione gave him a potion she invented based on Basilisk’s poison in which she spent four years studying the properties and perfecting it although it didn’t work against the Basilisk himself, it’s safe for any other snake’s poison.

Then, Potter started telling them about Snape’s memories, how Dumbledore manipulated him to spy for the Order, making Severus promise to kill him even thought he was already dying at the time thanks to a curse on the Gaunt’s ring. No one dare say anything; everybody was speechless after the explanation. Harry didn’t comment on the memories concerning Hermione and for that she was very grateful. She was not ready to deal with everyone knowing about it.

Soon, the attention of everybody was once again in their relatives and acquaintances, professor McGonagall went to help Madam Pomfrey to care the injured ones. Potter and Granger were left alone with Snape and Andromeda, who, seeing the opportunity, asked:

“- Now that there’s no crowd with torches and pitchforks, which one of you care to explain me about Hermione?” – Andy says with a imperative voice, leaving no place for refuses.

This time, was Hermione trembled voice that explains what she saw on the memories: Evan Rosier was a Death Eater who was killed by aurors in an attempt to escape being arrested. He wasn’t married but he had a daughter with a muggle. No, it was not for love. Unfortunately, the child was born out of a non-consensual relationship.

The woman had handed the baby to an orphanage and the killed herself, the kid was treated badly at the orphanage, and Dumbledore did not let her know of the existence of the magical world, fearing another disaster like Voldemort. When the girl, her name was Katherine, reached the age of majority, she had to leave the orphanage, but with nowhere to go, she had to accept any kind of work to survive. Dumbledore kept a constant watch on every step she took although he never helped her.

Once, working in a bar, she met a man. He was a wizard. His name was Connor MacMillan. Connor always came back to this bar and the two ended up falling in love, he told Katherine everything about the magical world when she got pregnant. He was ready to investigate her past and why she didn’t attend to any magical school nor did she receive any contact from the Ministry.

When the baby was born, Connor already knew everything Dumbledore had done and was about to make a public complaint in all Ministries and magical media. Any test done on Katherine’s blood could prove her ancestry and those complaints would not be easily overlooked. Dumbledore would lose all his prestige.

Connor had hidden Katherine and their daughter, Alison MacMillan, in a old house in Ireland, but Dumbledore managed to discover their location and killed the young couple, taking Alison with him and leaving her at the door of a muggle couple in London, he also cast a spell on the baby to change her appearance so that she would looked like the muggle couple.

“- That baby was me.” – Hermione finished her story with a strangle in her throat, she didn’t have any more tears,

“- That was quite a story, dear. Do you know what you’re going to do about it?” – Andromeda asks and Hermione just shakes her head negatively “- Well, on the good side, you’re family now. A distant relative, yes, but, still.” – Andy said while gave the girl a hug.

In a corner of the Great Hall, Bellatrix was divided into two feelings: pure hatred for the mudblood girl Granger and surprise to see Andromeda after so long. Turning to her side, she whispered:

“- Cissy, I need to speak with the mudblood girl. Please, bring her here, would you?” – The dark witch said to her sister.


	3. Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, another quick chapter for you, I hope you enjoy it! Again, all the mistakes are mine and I'm sorry, although English is not my native language, I swear I'm working hard. Thank you for reading!

Hermione and Harry was talking to Andromeda until she announces her departure she need to go back to her house, her daughter was still learning how to take care of a baby. The little Ted really was something.

“- Harry, I think you should check on how Ron’s doing.” – Hermione said apprehensively, Harry’s way much closer to the family than she is, partially because Ron couldn’t accept that she didn’t like him romantically.

“- Huh, I don’t know… Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? I don’t want to leave you alone too, you know. “– Harry replies with worry all over his dirty face.

“- Don’t worry, Harry, I’ll be okay. This is just another day though without the risk of imminent death lurking in the shadows every time we take one step.” – She says, slightly bumping her shoulder with Harry's, trying to play normal teenagers.

“- Alright, I’ll go. You know you just need to say a word and I’ll be with you, right? We still have the coin, Hermione, I’m serious.” – He says giving a kiss in her forehead and going towards the Weasley family that was mourning Percy’s death.

Watching Harry walk away, Hermione doesn't have time to react when a hand grabs her arm and pulls her into a darker corner without anyone noticing. She was ready to scream when a hand roughly covers her mouth, making a strange metallic noise with the movement. She also noticed two hands holding her fists. _“So there’re two people. Great, just great. I survive through war and this is how I’ll die. Alone in a corner in the Great Hall and anybody will notice. ”_ – The girl thinks while began to squirm in the arms of her raptors.

“- Hush darling, I didn’t kill you when I could, I certainly wouldn’t do it now, stop this maddening squirming!” – A low and deep voice reaches her ears in a whisper. Hermione’s body automatically became still. “- Oh, I do so love it when they’re so eagerly helpful.” – Another deep rich whisper in her ears.

“- Bellatrix, we have a _limited_ time, do not forget.” – Mrs. Malfoy says with impatience, making a distinct contrast between hers and her older sister’s voice.

“-As Cissy made a point of so pleasantly reminding us, we do have a tight schedule, so just listen to me, alright? I know who everyone thinks I am, I know what everyone thinks what I did. I know the reputation I was given, but what nobody knows is what happens behind close doors. I know you’re smart, Granger. I knew only you could’ve pick up the hint that I was given about Helga’s cup in Gringotts. The brightest witch of her age, isn’t that what they say? Do think for yourself when the time is right and I’ll may or may not tell you a story. Not all things are what they seem to be.” – Bellatrix whisper hastily in Hermione’s ears, her mouth so close that she could feel the air in every breath, and the girl is launcher forward towards Narcissa, who in a single movement, stands the young witch and takes her back to the same spot where she found her.

Hermione’s head was spinning with all the information she was given, suddenly everything became a blur and black spots began to form in her vision until everything went dark. Her last memory was of her body falling.

**\--------------------------------------------------**

Hermione’s first conscious thought was that it was all just an insane and very strange dream, then she realized she was lying on a soft bed and it was very comfy and warmer. She noticed that someone was holding her hand, and at that moment, all the events that had happened in the past few hours came back with total force.

Opening her eyes, Hermione could discern Luna Lovegood sitting on a chair next to the bed, smiling kindly at her like always. Luna remained silent, letting Hermione decide whether to start a conversation or not. Hermione choose the former.

“- What happened? How did I get here?” – Hermione asks in a raspy voice. “- Also, how long have I been unconscious?” – Her throat was dry and her voice was weak.

Luna laughed a little before answering and, then, taking a glass of water and holding it out to Hermione, she says:

“- You worry too much for your own good, do you know that?” – Still smiling, she continues: “- You passed out. Harry and professor McGonagall brought you here and Madam Pomfrey took care of you. You passed out from exhaustion, Madam Pomfrey gave you a calming potion and you slept for five hours. I believe I answered everything although I also gave more information than you asked for.” – Luna finishes with a chuckle.

“- There’s no prob… Wait, did you just said five hours? Five hours straight?! Luna, what about the Death Eaters? Who is responsible for the Ministry? Where’s Harry?” – Hermione bombarded the blond with questions, feeling panic wash over her.

“- Miss Granger, please, calm down. No need to panic now.” – The always reassurance and calming voice of professor McGonagall echoed in the infirmary.

Both heads turns towards the door, Minerva who was at the door, started walking towards the two young witches. She approached the bed, but did not sit down and with a gentle smile, she turns to Luna and says:

“– I believe Mr. Potter was looking for you, Miss Lovegood.” – Minerva said knowing that Luna would understand the real intent.

“- Thank you, professor. Now that Hermione have another company, I’ll go and see if I can find Harry. I see you later, Hermione!” – Luna said while squeezes Hermione’s hand and leaves the place.

“How’re you really doing, Hermione? Andromeda came and talked to me about everything you have said to her, she knew you would need someone to help you besides her and she also knew that you wouldn’t ask for help. Don’t worry though, you know I’ll never tell a soul.” – McGonagall said with worry eyes.

“- I really don’t know how I’m copying with everything, professor. I think… Maybe all this didn’t sink yet? I don’t know what I’ll do about the truth about my life. I don’t even know how I truly look! And Harry thought there was no one more unfortunate than him. But, please professor, I don’t want talk about it right know.” – Hermione said with a pleading and painful expression.

“- Don’t worry, dear. We do not need to talk about it right know although we may need come back at some point. I’ll just answer the previous questions you asked Miss Lovegood, if it’s ok?” – Minerva asked dropping the subjected and, for that, Hermione’s very grateful.

“- Please, professor, I really want to know the outcome of everything in my absence.” – The girl said anxiously.

“- Very well, let’s see… Kingsley Shacklebolt is the new interim Ministry of Magic, Harry’s having lunch in the Great Hall having lunch with the others and now about the Death Eaters… - Hermione's face contorts at the memory of Azkaban – No, no, you don't have to make that face, young lady. Kingsley did not put the remains Death Eaters in Azkaban, they’re still here, locked in the Dark Tower, even though this decision has not been well accepted by many people. Apparently he shares the same ideas as you, Miss Granger.” – The professor finishes talking with an amused smile on her face.

“- Thank you, professor, but, can I ask you something?” – Hermione asks, fidgeting with the hem of the sheet.

“- You know you can ask anything you want, Miss Granger, go on.”- McGonagall responds while sitting in the chair previously occupied by Luna, feeling that the question would not be simple.

“- You taught Bellatrix, didn’t you? Has she always been that way?” – Hermione inquiries gathering the courage to look at Minerva.

“- Bellatrix was certainly something else, she still is. She also was the bright witch of her age, did you know this?” – Hermione’s face was one of pure surprise – “Yes, Miss Granger, you indeed took her place.

Bellatrix's strong personality has always been with her, although along with the responsibility of being a paragon for the purebloods, being the oldest of this Black generation, she did not have an easy childhood.

Mrs. Lestrange has always done everything to protect the sisters, regardless of the price. In our conversations when she was still a student, she showed great interest in investing in Auror's career, but considering the family to which she belonged, she had no expectations in achieving something like this. It was such a shame when she joined Voldemort's side; she could have done great things and certainly would be wonderful help on our side.” – McGonagall finishes speaking and her expression is one of sadness.

“- But why, Miss Granger, the sudden interest in that particular person?” – The professor says before Hermione had time to formulate anything else to say.

Suddenly, they hear close steps approaching and come across two redheads and one with messy hair.

“- Hermione!” – They all said at the same time and hurried to the bed. “- Hi, professor McGonagall.” – They all said.

“- Well, now that you're in good hands, I'm going to leave you in the company of your friends, Miss Granger. We’ll talk later. Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley, please, do not cause further confusion. Miss Weasley, thank you for remembering to bring that sandwich to Miss Granger.” – Minerva rises from the chair and starts to walk towards the door, leaving the place.

“- Are you all right, Hermione?” – Ginny asks as she hands the plate to her. “- Harry told us about the stuff that happened in the pensieve. Pretty intense, huh?” – She says with an awkward expression while sits in the edge of the bed.

“- Yeah, tell me about it. I still don’t know what I’m gonna do, I don’t even know how I truly look, guys.” – Hermione replies as she eats her sandwich, trying to swallow the desperation down her throat.

“-If you want, we can ask Professor Flitwick to help undo the disillusionment spell, or maybe Snape or McGonagall.” – Harry tries to suggest with an encouraging smile.

“- Don’t worry though, you know we don’t care what you look like or who your parents are. You’re our friend, Hermione.” – Ron says reassuring.

“- Especially because we've been through a lot, so it's not a non-lethal change that would damage our friendship, am I right?!” – Ginny giggles.

“- Stop it, Ginny.” – Hermione replies seriously, but with a smile on her lips.

“- All right, all right, I’m sorry. But, Hermione, aren't you at least a bit curious to see the "real you”?” – Ginny asks.

“- No, I’m not.” – Hermione replies with a defensive instance.

“- No? Really?” – Harry asks.

“- Come on, Hermione, please! Not even a little bit?” – Ron asks right away too.

“- Fine, maybe I’m a little curious.” – Hermione admits, getting up from the bed. “- If we're going to do this, it will be my way, okay?” – All the three of them nods.

“- Great, so first I’m going to take a shower and I suggest you do the same, second I’m going to pay my respects to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, third I, Ron and Harry are going to talk to Kingsley and only then are we going to look some teacher to help us with the spell. Did _everyone_ understand? Fantastic! - Hermione says it all in a single breath as she walks out of the infirmary, leaving the three of them stunned by her quick change in attitude.


	4. The Other Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, people. Another quickly chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy!

They say it takes you a lifetime to get to know yourself in fully, but a single moment in your life is capable of breaking you completely and then you are forced to reform yourself into someone totally new, maybe it is a defense mechanism, but you will never again you can be totally who you were before everything.

Facing her reflection in the mirror, Hermione could no longer tell who she was. Muggle-born? Half-blood? The scar in her left arm says that she’s a mudblood. She was always proud of her roots, always sure of whom she was, but now everything seems uncertain. This should be a time of relief and not another traumatic experience to add to her memory.

Oh, she was angry, so angry. No friend in the muggle world, no child wanted to befriend her because she was always the smartest, always trying to teach the right, always trying to correct and the strange child who did strange things happen around her.

So, Hermione learned early on that books were her only haven when her parents were unavailable. Make no mistake, she’d great parents, there was never a lack of love between them and everything was fine with her, she was already used to having no one but them and the books.

By the age of eleven she had read more books than most of the adults she knew, but then the letter from Hogwarts arrived and everything changed. She was a witch and it all made sense! Maybe that's why she never made friends with the kids in her neighborhood. With the prospect of a new life, she went headlong into the magical world and didn't even blink when her parents asked if she wanted to study at Hogwarts.

Hermione thought about everything that had happened in her life up to that moment and feeling a complete hole grow inside her, she started to laugh. A nervous laugh, until tears form and the laughter turns into sobs and a compulsive cry. She decided that she would think of who she would be when she saw her true reflection in the mirror.

“- Hermione? Is everything alright?” – Ginny’s voice echoed through the door.

“- Yeah, it’s fine, Ginny, don’t worry. Give me just a sec.” - Hermione's voice cracked out, she quickly wiped the tears from her face and left the bathroom.

“- Hey, Hermione, you look so much better now.” – Ginny says, purposely ignoring all signs that Hermione was crying.

“- Thanks, Ginny, I still had clean clothes in my bag and after everything that happened, I just needed to feel myself. How’re you with everything, Gin?” – Hermione asks worriedly.

“- I’m okay… I mean, I’m obviously not “okay, okay”, but just... Okay, you know? Oh Merlin, I just sounded like my brother!” – Ginny jokes, trying to lighten the mood. “- Let’s try again, shall we? So, I wasn't very close to Percy, especially after that incident with Fudge, but he was still my brother, you know? I’m just relieved that it was all over. Percy tried to save Fred and he did it.”

“- I’m so, so sorry for everything your family has been through, Gin, truly.” – Hermione says, wrapping Ginny in his arms to comfort her.

“- It’s okay though, everyone lost someone or something in this war, some much more than others. But, thanks Hermione… Or should I say _Miss Alison McMillan_?” – Ginny replies.

“- Gin, don't try to mask your sadness with jokes and don't give me that look, I know what you're trying to do. Just, please, talk to someone if you need to, don't keep everything to yourself.” – The brunette says to the redhead and just receives a slow nod and a sad smile in response. In the meantime, Harry and Ron caught up with the girls in the corridor and Ron says:

“- Hey, Hermione, my parents aren’t here anymore. They went to take care of all the things for Percy's funeral. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick are trying to rebuild parts of the castle, but they said Snape was in the principal's office, what do you think about going there?” – Ron says anxiously.

Hermione knew he was extremely curious to know how she truly looks. Since their sixth year, things are no longer the same between the two. Ron just didn't accept that Hermione just saw him as a brother, but he thinks he can "convince" her otherwise. No one knew that boys didn't interest her at all.

“- Let’s see professor Snape then.”– Hermione says, walking with them to the headmaster office.

**\--------------------------------------------------**

The headmaster office was completely clean and all the portraits came back, just one was suspiciously missing: professor Dumbledore. That’s the first thing Hermione notices when she and her friends enter the room. The second is professor Snape with her usual black clothes, stopping writing at his desk to watch.

“- The Golden Trio and another Weasley. To what do I owe the pleasure?” – He says in a bored voice.

“- Really, Snape, after everything?” – Harry asks a little angry.

“- Make no mistake, boy. I still don’t like you.” – Snape replies to Harry. “- Miss Granger, however, it’s a completely different story, after all, I do owe her a debt.”

“- You don’t owe me anything, professor. Anyone would do the same.” – Hermione replied shyly.

“- No, they wouldn’t. I’m a serious man, Miss Granger and I am no fool. Why did you all come here?” – Severus questions, going straight to the point.

The four exchanged glances with each other, silently deciding who would approach the matter. Three pairs of eyes fixed on Hermione:

“- We need help, professor, so we came here to see if you could help us. I mean, the help would be for me.” – She says nervously. Snape just stares at her, waiting for her to continue.

“-I decided to find out what I really look like, I know that Dumbledore was a great wizard, so it is obvious that he would never put a normal disillusionment spell, certainly he modified several layers of the original matrix, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a brand new spell and I know it wasn’t a simple Transfiguration because I did it on Ron when we invaded Gringotts and the spell was undone when we passed the Thief’s Downfall, but I continued the same way.” - Hermione says, trying to hide all the frustration she was feeling.

“- Great Merlin, don’t you need to breathe, Miss Granger?” – Severus says a little annoyed although he didn’t give time for any of them to say anything. “-Be aware that I may not be able to reverse whatever Dumbledore has done to you, but I can certainly try.” – He says thoughtfully.

“- Now, I need to check the spell layers that are on you, this may take a while, so I suggest your friends make themselves comfortable.” – He says standing up and grabbing his wand.

After two hours trying to understand all the layers of the spell, Severus had to ask for help from the Spells and Transfiguration teachers. The three together only managed to understand the entire web tangle that Dumbledore had made after another three hours of intense study.

The former director not only created a spell mixed with a totally new transfiguration, but he did it carved in a magic rune that he tattooed on Hermione's body, that’s the reason Gringotts was unable to undo it, since the bank recognized it as being part of the her body. The _Raidho_ rune was tattooed behind her ears, it was not large and its color was faded red, because of that no one had noticed it before.

The teachers concluded that it would be impossible to try to remove the spell with another one on top, so the only possible solution would be to create a potion that would make Hermione's body reject the unique magical properties that Dumbledore put in it, causing the potion to also corrode the symbol on the skin of the young witch. It wouldn’t be pleasant and neither painless, but once she take it, it would be definitive.

All teachers present in the room gave an estimate of approximately 2 days to deliver the potion ready. Since only Hermione needed to take it, they wouldn't have to do it in large quantities: a single dose would be enough. So they expected.

In the meantime, Professor McGonagall suggested that they take the opportunity to talk to the interim Minister of Magic and when everyone agreed, she sent a message through her personal owl. While they waited for Kingsley to arrive, Ginny said goodbye to her friends, she had agreed to help with Percy's funeral arrangements.

Flitwick and Snape decided to start preparing the potion as soon as possible, so they also left the room to grab whatever they could until Professor McGonagall joined them, although Snape was the Potions Master, he needed input from both, a since it is a combination of both techniques.

With only the Golden Trio remaining in the room, the Transfiguration professor served them a quick snack that was finished just in time for Shacklebolt's arrival.

“- Good evening everyone.” – Kingsley's unmistakable baritone voice resounded.

“- Hello, Kingsley, I hope you are well and thank you for answering so fast.” – Minerva said. “- The children really need to do this as soon as possible. They could use a break.” - McGonagall said concerned.

“- Good evening, Minister.” – The trio said together.

“-Shall we start? – Kingsley asked, sitting on a chair.

Harry was the first to start, recounting in greater detail all the events from Dumbledore's death to the point where they were now and Ron told his part about when he deserted his friends and even met them again. Hermione was the last to give her account of all the events, filling in all the gaps in the rationale that the two boys could not say in detail.

At the end of the report, Shacklebolt made the last notes of everything, placing Harry as a defense witness for Narcissa and Draco Malfoy and when getting up, before he could leave, Hermione asked to speak to him alone, a request that was promptly granted leading her out of the room.

“- Kingsley, I need you to put me on the job as a witness too.” – Hermione said quickly before she changed her mind.

“- For whom, Hermione?” - Kingsley asks in the same calm voice, but with suspicious eyes.

“- Bellatrix Lestrange.” – Hermione responds nervously, fidgeting with her fingers.

At that moment there was a silent pause, the Minister was not expecting that at all. Not knowing what to say right away, Hermione could see the indecision on his face, so she said:

“- Look, I know that you probably must be thinking that maybe I’ve had gone mental, but I swear that’s not the case, Minister. You know me, you know that I wouldn’t asks this if I truly didn’t believe. She really did help us, without her, much like her sister, we wouldn’t have won the war, Kingsley. I mean it.” She says seriously and then, softening her expression, she says: “- Please.”

“… Alright, Hermione. If you’re completely sure about this, I’ll put your name on it.” – He says still uncertain.

“- Thank you, Minister.” – She says relieved.

“- You’re welcome, Hermione. Don't worry about the trial dates though, I'll notify you and Harry.” – The Minister said and immediately left, not waiting for an answer.

The girl returns to the headmaster’s office, already being bombarded by questions about what they talked about, Hermione deconstructs and gives an excuse that she wanted to make sure that there would be no leak on the story of her true ancestry.

McGonagall offers Hogwarts if any of them want to stay, but all three decline respectfully and leave for The Burrow, however, before the girl left, McGonagall agreed with Hermione that she would write to warn her when the potion was ready.


	5. The Transformation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you like this chapter, I was really looking forward to introducing the version I imagined of this character. Enjoy reading and thank you for stick with me till here! In the next chapter we will have the Death Eater judgments. Also, all the mistakes are mine, so sorry.

After any traumatic event, you can react in two ways: you can pretend that nothing happened or you can become a stronger person. Either way, you always have to choose an option. Being exactly who you were before everything happened is not one of them. Those who are aware of this, choose the second option.

Hermione was sitting on the bed while Harry and Ron were sitting on the floor, it was the second day they were in the Burrow, they slept the first day practically in full, so much the tiredness they were feeling and the lack of sleep without worrying about whether they would die or not.

“-Have you decided what to do now that it's all over?” – The girl asks the boys.

“- Nope.” – Harry replies, popping the “p”. “-Honestly, I wasn't expecting to survive, so… I have no idea.” – He says scratching his neck.

“- Yeah, I know the feeling, mate.” – Rony said while makes random sparks with his wand. “-Although Shacklebolt mentioned that if we want, we could be Aurors.” - Ron says and Hermione rolls her eyes annoyed. His pathological need for prestige has always bothered her.

“- What about you, Hermione?” – Harry hurries to ask before another discussion could take place. “-Do you intend to return to Hogwarts?” – He questions.

“- Actually... No, I do not.” - She replies, already prepared for the expressions of surprises on the boys' faces. “- Really, guys? Since I entered the wizarding world, Hogwarts hasn't exactly been the safest place for me. I love that place, the teachers, everything that we have lived although not so much the experiences of _near death_ and they were, at least, one in each school year. I won't be back, I feel too old to wear a uniform and pretend that nothing happened.” - At this point, they just stare at her, bewildered, like she had grown a second and a _third_ head. She blatantly ignored them. “- But, I also don't know what I’ll do after taking the exams. You guys do remember them, right?” – She asks, keeping a steady and serious look on them.

“-You know that Kingsley said we didn't need to do them, right? So, I don’t see why we would do it. I’ll not waste my time doing it.” – He shrugs. “ _Of course only Ron would take up that offer”_ , she thinks.

“- Ronald, just because you were offered not to do it, does not mean that you are right to accept. Remember that your fame will not last and knowledge is the only thing that is truly eternal.” – The girl says already annoyed by the friend's lazy tendency.

“- Guys, chill out. Ron, Hermione’s right. You should do it, I’ll do it too.” – Harry says in an attempt to lighten the mood, seeing the redhead's face turn redder than his hair.

But, before any of them could continue what would probably be the beginning of a long argument, the sound of an owl hitting the window interrupts the golden trio. Hermione eagerly opens the window to reach the letter she has been looking forward to. The potion and the trial. Both are together, as well as Harry's card for the Malfoy’s trial. Not wanting to explain anything to her friends yet, Hermione hid her letter from the Ministry into the pocket of her pants.

She turns back to the boys and hands Harry's letter to him, sitting down on the bed again to read Professor McGonagall's letter. _The potion was ready_. She could go whenever she wanted during that day to take it. Either it would work or not, they didn't know. Turning her gaze to Harry, she asks: "- When the Malfoy's trial will be?"

“- Tomorrow afternoon.” – He answers.

“- So soon?” – She replies in surprise.

“-I still don't understand why you would do it, mate. You know I think this is utterly rubbish.” - Ron says grumpy.

“- Ron, we already discussed this, you what I think.” - Harry argues impatiently, running a hand through his messy hair.

“- Harry’s doing what is right. The world is not divided into black and white and rainbow shades, Ronald.” – Hermione snaps.

“- They killed my brother, Hermione!” – Ron says angrily, closing his fists.

“- No, they didn’t. A Death Eater killed your brother, Ron, not them.” – She replies unperturbedly.

“- Children! We have guests, come down, please.” – The motherly voice of Molly reached the Golden Trio’s ears. Hermione was the first to get up, wanting to put as much distance as possible between her and Ron at this point. _“He always thinks inside a small square, I don't know why I still care”_ , she thinks trying to forget one more of the infinite arguments that the two always have _,_ the boys following her right behind. 

As soon as they arrived in the kitchen, Hermione was the first to be crushed in a pair of arms that threw themselves around her body in a tight hug, promptly answered by her. “- Oh Merlin, I was so worried about you!” - Nymphadora always jovial voice echoed in her ear. “-I'm fine, Tonks although if you keep hugging me like that, I may break a rib.” –Hermione giggles while Tonks step out the embrace with a smile. “- I’m glad that you and Teddy are fine too.” – Hermione adds.

“- Now, Miss Granger, don’t I deserve an equally tight hug too?” – The rich and deep voice of Andromeda sounded close to her, making Hermione’s heart jumps a little. _“Where did she came from?!”_ Hermione thinks and winces internally, praying for everyone to be occupied with anything to pick up the lightly flush on her cheeks.

“- Of course, Andromeda!” – She remembers to answer and cautiously embraces the other witch, savoring every second of it.

“- You seem a little nervous, a bit flushed too. Are you feeling well, Hermione?” – Andy's voice with her lips so close her ear resonated like a sin.

“- Yeah… I’m okay…” – Hermione struggled to reply. She couldn't concentrate with the other witch so close to her. The older witch definitely didn't hug her like that at Hogwarts. Trying to save any remnants of dignity that still exist, Hermione turns away from the other witch and quickly looks around the kitchen to see if anyone noticed everything that happened (she was pretty sure it was all in her head). Harry had little Teddy in his arms, sitting at the table with Ron and Tonks while Mrs. Weasley was preparing a snack. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Andromeda, again a Black after the separation from the marriage with Mr. Tonks, spent the afternoon with the Weasley family (also included Harry and Hermione) with her daughter and little Teddy who loved the company of his godfather and his godmother. Teddy alternated his hair while laughing (making funny baby noises), when he looked at his godfather, his hair was black and messy and when he looked at his godmother, she was soft and brown.

When they left, Hermione had already decided to open the Ministry letter with the date of the Bellatrix trial after facing the last major change in her life (so she hoped). After calmly explaining to the boys several times why she needed to do this alone, they finally accepted, so she left for Hogwarts, it was already night when she step out the fireplace in the headmaster’s room, a channel that would only be open directly on this day for this single purpose.

**\-------------------------------------------**

“- I hope you are sure of that, Miss Granger. If this potion really works, there will be no turning back. You know that for the world, you will become Alison McMillan.” - Snape's voice reverberated, before any greeting was made.

“- Don’t be so grumpy, Severus.” – Professor McGonagall's friendly voice resonated, breaking the tension. “- Good evening, Miss Granger. How’re you, my dear?” – She asks with a friendly (almost motherly) smile towards the girl.

“- Good evening, professors. And I'm fine, Professor McGonagall, given the circumstances.” – She replies with a half smile although she could feel the nervousness creeping into her mind.

“- Now, Hermione, after everything we went through, I think you can call me Minerva, I would like to think of you as a friend.” – She says affectionately.

“- Of course, prof.. I mean, Minerva.” – Hermione smiles.

“- Lovely. Can we get back to what matters now, please?” – Snape says without emotion.

“- Yes, yes. There’s no such a thing as display emotion with you, how boring, Severus.” – Minerva said playfully in a kind tone. “- Hermione, please, come closer.” – The older witch says and hands the vial to the girl. “- You need to drink until very last drop, keep in mind that we’re not sure if it will work.” – The professor says seriously.

“- I know, Minerva, it’s alright. I still have to try though. Gryffindor and all this.” – Hermione tries to joke.

“- It's good to know that at least your sense of humor remains intact. We hope your big brain is also in the right place, Mr. Granger.” – The Potions Master says, somehow managing to sound even more serious.

“- Thank you, professors, I know it was not an easy potion to create and I could not express the immense gratitude that I am feeling..” - The young witch says awkwardly, feeling the room heavier.

“- Would you like any of us to stay with you, Hermione?” - The Gryffindor's Head asks to her protégé.

“- If you don’t mind, I’d rather do this alone.” - She says apologizing.

Snape just nods his head in agreement, walking to the door although he stop before passing through, he turning his head towards the young witch: "- Good luck, Miss Granger." - He leaves before she could thank him. Minerva also wishes Hermione good luck before she leaves the room, although she was more friendly, briefly embracing her former student.

Hermione doesn't know how much time she just spent standing in the same place, staring at the potion bottle that had a nauseating green color, pondering if she was really ready for all the ramifications that would consequently follow if she drank it. Deciding that it would be better to avoid any unwanted surprises, she walks over to the fireplace and deactivates the Floo Network, then walks to the door, sealing the entrance with a spell. Still feeling that something was missing when looking around, she decides to transfigure the door into a full-length mirror.

The girl watched her own image reflected in the mirror, thinking of all the times she was mocked. Always the know-it-all, the bushy haired girl, the teacher's pet, the girl who couldn't keep her mouth shut for everyone, whether in the muggle world or in the wizard world.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and focused on all the happy memories she had with her parents: watching movies with them, learning to cook with her mother, dancing and singing in the living room with her father. She could feel all the tears wetting your face. She would never see them again. Hermione did not want to avoid the danger of a simple memory-altering spell, for God's sake, Tom Riddle devoted his entire life to black magic, any Death Eater who found her family and was smart enough to take them to him, would mean an extremely cruel and painful death, she could not risk their safety and well-being in that way, so she was forced to use _Obliviate_ to erase all their memories related to her. Much safer.

Opening her eyes, the reflection in the mirror was extraordinarily painful. Every inch reminded her of her parents and who she was.. Before the war Hermione had a life written on the stones. But now? She wasn't sure who she was anymore. Gathering all the courage she could summon at that moment, she closed her eyes again and drank the entire contents of the bottle in a single breath, trying to suppress the nauseating instant that rose in her stomach.

The young witch had several cuts on her arm with a cursed dagger while she was awake. _Mudblood_ , it was the word she'd to endure while the deep cuts were being made, she also endured the _Cruciatus_ curse for several moments. None of these things compared to the pain that plagued her entire body, she felt like she was being burned alive inside. In an attempt to stop this sensation, her brain tried to get rid of the skin on her face and neck, causing long bloody gashes to appear where her nails went.

Hours later ... Or minutes, she didn't know how to estimate, the unbearable pain eased until it finally stopped, all the black spots that were present in her vision also dissipated. The girl's first logical reaction was to make sure she still had all parts of her body and once she confirmed this information, she got up off the floor although she didn’t remember falling, and feeling her whole body tremble in anticipation, finally turned her eyes to the mirror , seeing her true reflection for the first time in her life. She was definitely not Hermione anymore.

The girl in the mirror, Alison, had light strawberry hair, mint green eyes in which the left has a partial heterocrhomia (part of the iris is stained with golden amber), she also got was a small scar on her left's upper lip and more visible freckles than before although her bone structure has remained the same. Feeling something hot drip behind both ears, she raises her hair on her right side and notices the rune carved into her skin, now just a bloody scar.


	6. The Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also, I may take a while to post the next chapter because my new ukulele has arrived (yay!), so probably the seventh chapter will be posted on Monday or Tuesday. Most likely on Tuesday although if I finish earlier, I will post here.  
> Last but not least, all the mistakes are mine.

When someone goes through a major physical transformation, as well as a trauma, they start to see things from a new perspective. You transform yourself into a new perspective. It is with this thought that former Gryffindor casts a spell on herself, healing all the cuts she had made and then undoing all the changes she had made in the room.

“- Miss Granger? Are you alright?” – Minerva asked, concerned. _“Just in time”_ , Hermione thought. “- I’m fine, Minerva. Could you come in, please?” – She replies walking away from the door and stands in the middle of the room, waiting. The door cracked open, she hears a gasp of surprise from the older witch and looks up.

“- Hi, professor.” - She says shrugging with a shy smile.

“- … Oh, dear.” – That's all McGonagall manages to say after a few minutes of silence. “- Hello indeed.” – She returns the greeting with a warm smile.

“- So, what do you think, professor? Please, tell me I don’t look ridiculous.” – The girl asks nervously. The lack of response from her former mentor’s a nerve wreck.

“- Of course you don’t look ridiculous, Miss Granger, foolishness never suited you, my dear.” – The older witch says in a motherly tone. “- I am very surprise, a good surprise, although I admit that I didn't expect the potion to work. Perhaps fate really always has a way of bringing out the truth. You know that even though you have changed drastically, you are still the same person for me, don't you? Nothing will change my opinion of your personality, my dear.” – Minerva says, hugging the young witch for the first time. Hermione didn't know how much she needed it and missed this kind of motherly affection, willingly returning the hug.

“- Thank you, Minerva, you know how important your opinion will always be to me.” – Hermione replies with tears in her eyes, feeling that lately this seems to be all she can do. “- Where’s Snape?” – She asks.

“-He thought this would be too intimate a time to participate, so he went to see what else needed to be done at the castle.” – The older witch replies. “- Are you going back to The Burrow now?” She also asks.

“-I don't want anyone to see me yet, so going back there is not an option.” – She responds, considering her options. “-And I won't be here either, Minerva.” – The girl says quickly, anticipating the older witch's next question. “-Don't worry, Minerva. I will be staying in a muggle hotel in London for a few days.”- She says deciding that this would be the best option at the moment, thank God her parents made a fund in the bank for her, both in the muggle world and in Gringotts.

Hermione then said goodbye to her former teacher, apparating in the principal's office, according to the Gryffindor’s Head, a privilege granted by Severus, still grateful to have been saved by her. The young witch apparated in a dark alley a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron, with this new appearance she was not concerned with being recognized. Walking freely as she had not done in a while, Hermione watched as the city moved at night. All colors, all people, she liked the Muggle world as well as the magical world, sometimes even more.

Stopping in front of a small, simple hotel after taking a small amount from a cashier she found on the way, she registered as Alison McMillan, feeling absolutely awkward to refer to herself that way for the first time. Her room had no luxury, but it was comfortable and clean although after spending almost 1 year on the run, this room felt like royalty to her. Hermione took out the letter in her pocket and opened it nervously. The trial was scheduled for three days from now, so that means this is the exact amount of time she will spend at the hotel.

Not wanting to worry anyone about her absence, she took ink and parchment from her inseparable purse, writing to the boys that she was fine, but without telling them that the potion had worked.

The young witch spent her days in complete contemplation, weighing up all the pros and cons of the decisions she had made so far. Although she doesn't know why, something about the wicked witch, Bellatrix, caught her attention. Her story just didn't fit, she was sure that many facts were distorted and others were hidden. Glancing at the clock in the room, she started to get ready for the trial. It was almost time for the show.

**\--------------------------------------------------**

The courtroom was full. The Ministry's lobby was just as full. Outside, the rain was falling hard and it was a rather odd cold day. Of course only Bellatrix would have a trial as tumultuous as the reputation she holds.

Lestrange was in the middle of the courtroom, sitting in a chair with heavy handcuffs firmly attached to her wrists, ankles and even on her neck. There was a kind of cage with sharp mental spines pointed at her over the chair, much like Igor Karkaroff’s trial. _"It would be less barbaric to tie it to a wooden stake with hay underneath”,_ Hermione thought, completely indignant at this type of treatment, regardless of who was there.

People were not here for justice, but for revenge, she noted. As Voldemort was out of the question, his right hand was receiving all the hatred that would be destined for him. Hermione could hardly understand what Shacklebolt was saying, nor could she even discern the comments made by Wizengamot members.

Giving up trying to listen, she looks around the room, discerning in a far corner the younger black sister, Narcissa (acquitted along with Draco thanks to Harry, unlike Lucius), and further up in another direction, someone who suspiciously it seemed to be Andromeda. The whole Weasley family was also present although Harry was next to Luna, who was also present as his father. It was enough for the young witch to know that the two wizards had fought again.

“… Hermione J. Granger.” - The girl quickly returned her attention to the Minister, having completely lost his speech and caught her name being mentioned. Knowing that the only reason for this would be to be summoned as a defense witness, she stood up.

She chooses her outfit carefully, a black dress under a black coat, black high heels and black silk stockings. She was on the third step of the bleachers, all eyes turned to her. Nobody recognized her, of course, so everyone was confused. When she arrived at the witness stand, everyone started talking and shouting at the same time, questioning what was going on. Kingsley fixed his gaze on the young witch in a silent question and she promptly nodded. _“There. Now everyone will know.”_ – She thought. The Minister began his explanation of why Hermione appeared to be someone else. The young witch boldly held all eyes of the audience with her head held high although three pairs of eyes caught her eye like a magnet.

The first, the middle black sister, Andromeda looked at her with a mixture of curiosity, affection, concern and one more sparkle that she couldn't put her finger on. The second, the younger black sister, Narcissa, she would never be able to forget those cerulean blue eyes. For the first time she was able to sense an emotion in them. Surprised, that was what her eyes showed. _"Narcissa Malfoy, the Ice Queen, was so upset by my story that she couldn't hide it in her mask? It almost makes the things Rita Skeeter will write about me worth it”_ , she thought, amused by the effect it she caused.

And there’s Bellatrix, the oldest black sister. Her dark eyes glinted in excitement. She did not hide any display of emotion. Her face was a mix of surprise, obviously, but also smugness. _"Ah! The nerve of that witch!”_ Hermione thought a little annoyed. Bellatrix also was smirking, her smirk grew wilder and she murmured something that looked a lot like _"you are family now"_ to Hermione. The younger witch didn't know why suddenly she felt nervous with this. The girl returned her attention to the Minister, breaking the visual connection with Bellatrix, just in time to begin the defense of her case:

“-For those who were not paying attention to the Minister's full explanation, I am in fact Alison McMillan and also Hermione Granger. Everyone knows what happened when Harry and I were on the run, but you don't know the details and they are the ones who made the difference between winning and losing in the end.

When we were captured by the snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manor, Draco and his mother knew who we were right away even though they didn't delete us. Just like Bellatrix also know who we were. Three ragged teenagers ambushed in a forest, a brunette, a redhead boy and another boy with messy black hair? It was impossible not to discover this obvious charade, unless you were not paying attention, which I believe was the case with Mr. Malfoy.

All the time he kept saying he was going to call Voldemort, he just needed someone to confirm who we were. I believe he never made that call for fear of what would happen to him if he were wrong. In the forest, when the snatchers showed up, we didn't have time, I threw a simple jinx at Harry while we were running and it wouldn't last very long. I'm sure that Mrs. Lestrange noticed everything at that moment and that is why she asked Mrs. Malfoy to put the boys on the cellar.

I mean, no offense, but Harry and Ron aren't exactly known for they wise thinking in a situation of extreme pressure, so it made sense for her to choose me for the role. It was not pleasant. All the pain I felt was very real and alive at that moment. But among all that, the help that Mrs. Lestrange was able to provide was and is immeasurable. For God's sake, she's a Death Eater, do you really think they play fair?! She had the means to use _Legilimens_ on me if she wanted to, even on Harry!

But she didn't. She just kept repeating what else we had taken from her vault, She just kept repeating what else we had taken from her vault, a mask of hate on her face, but her eyes overflowing with despair. It was plenty obvious that she wanted to tell me between the lines that there was something priceless for Voldemort there and at that point he already knew we were after his Horcrux.

That day, Mrs. Lestrange had infinite possibilities to kill me or discover all the secrets that even the Order did not know yet, she did not use any. Does that look like action you'd expect from Voldemort's lieutenant?

And, of course, they still have Azkaban. A fortress filled with hate, pain and suffering, a place so rotten that it created Dementors. Do any of you know the total murders that were committed on that island while Ekrizdis was still alive? Even today the wizards who went there after his death refuses to comment on what happened so horrified that they left!

Why do we have to live so attached to dark times? This does not make us any better than Voldemort, on the contrary, it makes us the same as him, only under a different flag. Mrs. Lestrange does not deserve Azkaban. Without her as well as without Mrs. Malfoy, none of us would be here now.” - Hermione finishes her long defense speech, with only silence as an answer. Some were looking thoughtful, others were ashamed of the points mentioned, a few were clearly angry.

With one last look towards the Bellatrix, although she was unable to decipher the intensity of the older witch's gaze on her, she stood up and walked towards the place she occupied before being called as a defense witness. _“Just breathe, it's over. You managed to get through this without embarrassing yourself.”_ – She thought to herself as she walked.

The Wizengamot called a recess so that they could discuss everything that was said during the trial. Hermione hid her hands in her coat pockets so that no one could see that she was shaking with nervousness. She felt a presence behind her, at the same time she felt the touch of a ghostly hand on her lower back. The person started to speak very closely to her ear before she could turn around:

“-I came here today ready to say goodbye to my sister, Miss McMillan, with no hope that she would make it out alive. Imagine my surprise when our dear Minister summoned the young Miss Granger to speak in defense of the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange even though she is Black now, as she always wanted to remain. Her husband was one of the ... Losses of the war. – Narcissa's silky voice echoed throughout Hermione's body.

“-You know, you could have just said "thank you", Mrs. Malfoy.” – Hermione gulped down without knowing how to act, suddenly her mind was blank.

“-Why, darling, but it's so much more delightful to see you use that big brain of yours.” – The older witch says with a mischief grin in her voice.

Just as the girl was about to turn around, the Wizengamot returned with the decision. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

“ – Bellatrix Lestrange, nee Black, is recognized from this day on as an essential part of the war against the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, also known as Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle. For this feat in question, so ardently defended by Alison McMillan, formerly Hermione J. Granger, who is one of the three people to whom we owe our victory, we declare that her life sentence is officially overturned and you’ll also not be delivered to the Dementor's Kiss..” – The Minister had to ask for silence, resorting to the _Sonorus_ spell.

“-However, since Miss McMillan or Granger believes there is some kind of goodness in you that deserves to be saved, we sentence you to spend three years under house arrest in the muggle world, under Miss Granger's roof. You will have to learn to live like a muggle for good faith. Every 6 months someone from the Wizengamot will evaluate you to see if you’re trying to regenerate yourself. During that time you’re also prohibited from performing any kind of magic. Miss Granger will be completely responsible for any and all actions that Mrs. Lestrange does. And if we have to deal with any negative action, both will be found equally guilty.” - The Minister finishes saying, gesturing to the Aurors present in the room to escort everyone outside, except Bellatrix and Hermione. He needed to discuss the details of this arrangement.

Hermione was frozen in place. She was not expecting that sentence at all. “ _Live for **three years** with a Death Eater? Kingsley went nuts?! And worse, a probably very pissed one Death Eater, nothing less! Now she would definitely die.”_ \- The girl panicked and groaned to herself. She was so absorbed in her pity party that she didn't even noticed when the room became empty. She only came to herself when she heard Kingsley clear her throat and then his baritone voice filled the entire room:

“- I hope the outcome of the sentence has been satisfactory to you, Hermione. Or is it already Alison? From the looks of it, I would say Alison.” - He says with a friendly smile.

“-Don't even try, Minister.” Hermione says in a serious tone.

“-Oh, are you a feisty one, pet? We'll have so much fun!” – Bellatrix says with a wolfish grin, causing Kingsley to shoot a warning look in the direction of the dark witch, while the young witch just rolls her eyes.

“- Kingsley, how’re we going to do this? I need at least a few says to get a place to live. You will get me one whole week and I will accept nothing less. You know, the wizarding world owes me a lot more than that for having putting kids to do adult work.” – Hermione says harshly, she was already able to count on her finger all the discussions that would generate some friends.

“-Consider it done, Hermione. During that week, Miss Lestrange will be under house arrest at Mrs. Malfoy's residence, with a team of Aurors keeping guard.” – He informs her.

“-Good, better than Azkaban. I'm not in the mood to take up another big discussion right now.” – She says in a tired voice.

“-When you get the house ready, just write me and then I’ll personally take Mrs. Lestrange there. See you in a week, Hermione.” – He says, walking with Aurors out of the room escorting Bellatrix.

Hermione still stood for a few minutes in the same place, digesting everything that happened during the trial, took a deep breath and headed for the exit. In the Ministry's lobby, journalists were being kept in one place, providing the young witch with a relatively calm exit, which she internally thanked Kingsley for.

Once outside the Ministry, the young witch decided to stay in the same hotel she had stayed in before, she needed to organize herself to be able to do everything on time: Once out of the Ministry, the young witch decided to stay in the same hotel she'd stayed in before, she needed to organize herself in order to be able to do everything on time: sell her parents' house, find another house and meet her friends for an unwelcome conversation about her involvement in Bellatrix's case.


	7. Roommate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I hope you enjoy this chapter more! Thanks to everyone who read this far! Also all mistakes are mine, unfortunately. Enjoy!

On the sixth day after the trial, Hermione finally managed to sell her parents' home. She sold it with all the furniture, after all she could not look at any of these things anymore without feeling that her heart was being broken into a thousand pieces, she just kept all the books, all the records and the old family typewriter. With the proceeds from the sale, she managed to buy a spacious industrial apartment in London: twenty-three floors, the top floor being hers, with a large balcony. From the building it was possible to see the Leaky Cauldron in the distance, it also had large windows, a spacious kitchen and living room, two equally large bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. As the top floor was hers, she also had a unique access to the roof.

The young girl spent the entire morning of the seventh day organizing the apartment, furnishing it. As she grew up in a Muggle house, all the furniture was also Muggle, however, the apartment had a third bedroom in which the young witch decided to transform it into a modest library, the only part of the house where she used magic: she expanded all shelves so they could always fit any book she put on and as the place also had a large fireplace, Hermione modified it to connect to the Floo Network for convenience.

After finishing the last points of the place, putting all the protection spells, Hermione took a quick shower and summoned her Patronus to send a message to the Minister saying that the place was ready and with the address of the apartment, she sat in the living room, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Shacklebolt arrives. The girl, as always, was right. Approximately ten minutes after sending her Patronus, the Minister arrived with a team of Aurors escorting Mrs. Lestrange.

After a week of being cared for by her younger sister, Bellatrix's appearance was much better: her hair became more alive, her curls softer and acquired the color of raven black, her skin lost its apathetic aspect and gained the characteristic pale tone as all Black have. Her black eyes were brighter. She also gained more weight, having returned to a more natural and less skeletal size. _“It's a wonder what potions can do”_ , the girl thought completely surprised by the older witch semblance.

“- Good afternoon, Hermione, how are you? It’s a beautiful place that you have arranged for yourself, although I’m surprised that you did not stay with your parents.” - The Minister says, looking around. “- I hope you don't mind, but I need the Aurors to put some protections in place.”- He also says, already signaling for the Aurors to start doing, without waiting for a response from the young witch.

“- Hello, Minister, I’m fine, thank you and how’re you doing with everything?” - Hermione said, ignoring the Aurors moving around, she knew it wouldn't make difference to say anything about it. “- Please, take a seat.” - She says, gesturing to the couch. The tall wizard sat on the sofa with Bellatrix beside her while Hermione preferred to sit in an armchair. She already felt the beginning of a headache as soon as she had to be alone with the dark witch.

“-A little tired if I can be honest. A lot of things need to be rebuild, almost all Ministry officials needed to be replaced, debts need to be repaid to families that were affected by the war…” - The wizard glanced at the older witch.

“- Have you thought about what you're going to do with Azkaban?” – The younger witch asked with genuine interest.

“-I’ll close the place down forever. But I still have no idea anywhere else that can replace it.” - He replies.

“-Perhaps, Minister, you should look more closely at our past. If Dumbledore managed to rule the entire Wizengamot even after everything he did, why not look and mirror one thing that Grindelwald did? After all, they shared the same ambition. A single wizard was able to build a maximum security prison for his enemies, without the need for Dementors as guardians. Certainly the Ministry is able to recruit capable and reliable people for this project if appropriate precautionary measures are taken. In the Muggle world we have the confidentiality contracts, but in the wizarding world we have the possibility to make an Unbreakable Vow.” - The girl says in an almost accusatory tone. She really didn't understand how the wizarding world couldn't evolve.

Sensing eyes on herself, the young witch's gaze automatically went to the dark witch. Bellatrix looked at her intently. _"Is that admiration? Or surprise?"_ \- She thought, unable to read the older witch's gaze.

“-Actually, that’s an excellent idea, Hermione, thank you! Although, if it's not too much to ask, could you help me with this project?” - The wizard asked hopefully. He needed trusted people for this project.

“- Of course I’ll help you, Minister.” - The girl said promptly. The girl said promptly, looking briefly at Bellatrix. The older witch was strangely quiet. They kept talking, mainly about the progress of Hogwarts repair until the Aurors finally finished their spells. The Minister also said a few last warning words to Bellatrix about behaving, said goodbye and left with his team, leaving the two witches alone for the first time.

“- Finally all alone.” - The dark witch said in a false voice of complaint. “- Are you afraid of me now, _pet_?” - She asks in a low, husky voice and a wolfish smile.

“- Please, you didn’t kill me before and you certainly will not kill me now.” - Hermione said trying to convey courage and certainty, two things she did not feel at all at the time.

“-Aw, you wound me, _darling_.” - She replies with a false pout, placing her hands over her heart dramatically. Hermione just narrowed her eyes towards the raven haired woman. With a sigh, the younger witch said: “-Please, I will show you to your room, Mrs. Lestrange.”

“-I’m not going anywhere until you treat me the **right** way.” – The older witch said with a somber expression, her voice filled with contained anger. Hermione, who was almost in the corridor that led to the rooms, turned in disbelief and, confused, asked: “- I’m sorry, what?”

“-You heard what I said. Unless you'd hit that pretty little head of yours on something invisible.” – She said roughly.

“-You certainly don't expect me to call you pureblood royalty nor Mistress, right?” - The girl asked incredulously.

“- Of course not, you silly girl although "Mistress Bellatrix" surely has a nice ring to it.” – The raven haired witch smirk. “- I am Bellatrix **Black**. Not Lestrange, never again I’ll be anything other than Black. Finally my worthless husband died.” - She answers the question previously asked with such emphasis and certainty that Hermione was able to feel in the air all the hatred that the older witch kept inside herself all this time. The girl pinches the bridge of her nose closing her eyes briefly and, tiredly, replies: “- Alright. Could you, please, Bellatrix Black, follow me?”

“- Why, so polite, darling! It would be my pleasure, Miss McMillan.” - The woman replied, taunting the girl.

Hermione showed the room that the dark witch would occupy while she remained in her care and, as she was not used to a muggle house, the girl also had to teach how to handle all the basic features, including electricity.

The older woman's room consisted of an upholstered gray modern king size bed with two standing lamps at the side, dark green walls (one of them with two large windows covering an entire wall overlooking the city, much like the living room), a desk and a comfortable armchair. Hermione's room was identical to hers, however, the walls were dark red and her bed was white. Both bedrooms had a large wardrobe but both bathrooms were smaller compared to the bedrooms.

Bellatrix only had a medium-sized trunk in hand and the rest of her luggage would be delivered the next day. The girl left the room so that the black-haired woman could settle in after teaching her to use the shower. Arriving in her own room, Hermione once again conjured up her Patronus, this time destined for the Weasley family, knowing that Harry, Ginny and Ron would receive the information and, later, bound for the Tonks' residence, for Andromeda and Nymphadora.

Unlike the other time, the message contained in this Patronus was with her address, warning that the former Death Eater was already at her home and she also asked that if anyone came by today, please take Crookshanks to her. Not even five minutes after sending her Patronus, the doorbell rings, five times in a row. The girl goes as quickly as possible without running to the door, opening it.

The girl goes as quickly as possible without running to the door, but when she opens it she is completely speechless, incredulity on her face. She was expecting one of the boys, at most both, but not all of them squeezed in the hall. The first to say anything before everyone started talking at the same time was the cat, his distress translating into a simple sound: “- Meow!”- Rather angry. And then, all hell break loose.

“- Have you gone nuts, Hermione?! Is this some sick personality that came together with Alison McMillan?!” – The red-haired boy says, but the messy black-haired boy also said together: “- How could you do something like that, Hermione?! After everything that she’d done?! She killed Sirius! She’s crazy!”- But another person was talking over the boys, a very angry metamorphmagus, her hair a bloody red "- Don't you think Teddy needs his godmother alive and sane?! What do ya think THREE YEARS with her will do with your mind?!"

“- Everyone shut up right now!” – An angry voice shouts behind the young witch. Hearing Bellatrix's voice, everyone fell silent at once. Hermione couldn't tell whether out of fear or surprise. “- Let’s get inside and talk about it like normal and civilized people, please?” – Hermione asks, still a little overwhelmed with the ambushed. The first to enter, of course, was the cat. Then the rest until everyone was settled in the living room. The girl was already massaging her temple with her fingers.

The boys sat on the sofa with Ginny and Tonks preferred an armchair, as did Hermione. Andromeda was standing behind the young witch, hands on her shoulders. Bellatrix was leaning against a wall, watching closely the interaction between these two.

“- Okay, who's going to start?” – The former brunette, now a strawberry-haired girl asks. “- Only one at a time!” – She hurries to add, seeing that the shout would restarts.

“- How could you do this behind our back, Hermione?” – Harry asks.

“ – I didn’t do anything wrong, Harry. Unfortunately Sirius' death was a fatality that could have been avoided if you had heard me. I maintain my position in everything I defended at Wizengamot. Perhaps over time you can see that the world is not just divided between good and evil and that the good guys are not always above everyone just because of the "greater good", after everything we discovered about Dumbledore, I thought you would understand that.” - The girl responds in a neutral tone, watching Harry fidget with the hem of his shirt a little embarrassed.

“-But, Hermione, she is a Death Eater! And crazy!” – The redhead whispers harshly.

“-You do know that "she" is here, right?” – The mentioned witch says narrowing her eyes.

“– Right and she’s a former Death Eater, Ron.” - She says quickly, the last thing she wanted that night was a fight. “- And, frankly, anyone would go crazy if they spent fourteen years in Azkaban, it’s a miracle that Bellatrix still has that level of lucidity.” - She says wearily, _"I already lost count of how many times I had this argument with him after the Battle of Hogwarts”_ , she thought, feeling every muscle in her body stiff with stress. However, feeling Andromeda's skillful fingers on her scalp, she sighs more relaxed, unconsciously propping her head on the black-haired witch's body.

“-No, Ron! It's my turn now.” – Tonks said, seeing that Ron was ready to argue once again with the girl. “- So, Hermione, what am I going to tell Teddy when he asks me what happened to his godmother when you die? Should I say that she went completely crazy when she took on the new-old-original identity? Consequently housing a dark witch? Because, ya know… With all that pureblood ideal bullshit?!” – Tonks asks angrily.

“-First, she won't do that, isn't that right, Bellatrix?” - The young witch asks, glancing at the older woman still leaning against the wall, her face expressing boredom.

“- … Right.” - Bellatrix answers without interest, not sounding very sure reassured.

“- You see? Everything will be just fine, Tonks, I promise. And second, you all know that I don't do anything without thinking first.” - She replies, making it clear in her tone that this was not open to discussion. Ginny, who had just gone there to take the cat and see how the conversation between them would go, praised the young witch's new apartment and said goodbye, dragging her brother and Harry along, both of them not wanting to end the discussion yet. Tonks went with them too because Teddy was in Molly's care.

Hermione, her head still against Andromeda's body, felt her whole body stiffen when Bellatrix's low, deep voice resounded in the silence:

“- Hello, sister dear.” – The dark witch says with a mix of anger and fondness.

“-You no longer have the right to call me that, Bellatrix.” - Andy counters angrily.


	8. Happy Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm so terrible sorry for the delay! But life gets in the way though, so for now on I may take longer to post the chapters but I'll try to make it longer! Hope you all enjoy! Also all mistakes are mine, sadly.

Hermione tries to get up from the chair, but Andromeda's hands, again on her shoulders, pinned her in place like an iron grip. The girl squirms in her sit, subtly trying to free herself. The girl squirms in the chair, subtly trying to free herself, but she just managed to make the grip even more firm.

“-See? Now you've hurt my feelings.” – Bellatrix says, faking a sad expression.

“- Oh, please, as if you have them.” – Andy says in a mocking voice unknown to Hermione.

“-Ah, but I **have** them, they were the ones I used to kick you out of the family, do you remember, sis?” – Bellatrix's voice was pure poison. By this time, Hermione knew that she needed to do something to avert the attention of the two witches, the last thing she wanted to do was deal with a murder that night.

“- Andy, I don’t think I’m feeling very well, could you please get me a glass of water?” – Hermione says, faking a pained face while massaging her temples with her fingertips.

“- Of course, Hermione! Right away! Don’t you want to lie down?” – Andromeda replies worriedly, helping the young witch to lie down on the couch and then going to get what was asked. Taking advantage of her sister's departure, Bellatrix approaches the couch, hovering over the girl, she says:

“- I saw what you just did, muddy. Very clever of you, I’ll give you that. But, oh, what a pity it would be if you _really_ started to feel bad, wouldn’t it?” – Bellatrix says in a sickeningly sweet voice, making the whole young witch’s body to shiver. Strangely, the girl immediately started to feel her head ache. With Bellatrix still hovering over her, the former Gryffindor says:

“-I also know what you just did, Black and it was also quite impressive for someone who spent fourteen years in Azkaban. Wordless and wandless magic? I wonder what the Minister would think of this very important information so blatantly hidden from him.” – Hermione says in a foolish courage typical of her former House.

“- What are you doing now, Bellatrix?” - Andromeda asks angrily, strolling over hurriedly to put some distance between her crazy sister and Hermione.

“- I was doing nothing, sis.” - Bellatrix says, stepping back and raising her hands in surrender, though at the disbelief look on her sister’s face to her, she says: “- What? Don’t you trust me, _sister_?” - She says, dragging the last word as if it tastes like ash in her mouth.

“- No, please! Andromeda, I’m asking you.” – Hermione says with pleading eyes, grabbing the older witch hand and giving a little squeeze, making Andy sighs.

“- It’s all right, Hermione. I think it would be better if I leave before I do something I wouldn't regret at all.” – Andy says, looking harshly at her sister over her shoulder.

Holding both hands of the strawberry-haired girl, Andromeda lifted her off the couch and circled her waist with her arms, bringing her into a tight hug. “- Now you take good care of yourself, do you hear me? Anything you may need, please, don't hold back and call me. You know I'll come right way to your aid. I like you _very_ much, sweetie.” - Andy says almost in a whisper, hugging the young witch tighter, while feeling Hermione bury her face in the crack of her neck. She inhales deeply the essence of the young witch, a mixture of a rainy morning, apples and books.

“-So cute, I think I could vomit.” – Bellatrix says faking a gag reflex.

“- Always so charming Bellatrix.” – Says Hermione, her voice muffled in Andromeda’s neck. “- Thank you, Andy, for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll be just fine, you know I can stand my ground, but I know I can count on you for anything though you know it goes both way, right? I’m here for you too, If you want.” – The girl ends in a whisper without realizing it. Andy gave the youngest girl a squeeze goodbye and, leaving the embrace, went towards the fireplace, using the Floo Net to go home. For the second time that day, Hermione found herself alone with Bellatrix in the room.

“- Well, that was marvelous.” – Bellatrix says with a grin.

“- Are you insane?” – Hermione asked incredulously. Seeing the older witch's intention to respond, she raised both hands and said tiredly: “- You know what, don’t answer that. It was a stupid question anyway.” – At this point, the young witch felt exhausted and just wanted to lie down, however, remembering that Bellatrix would not know how to find her way alone in a muggle kitchen, she painfully added: “- Are you hungry? I can do something for you to eat if you’re.”

“- What?! As if I would want anything that came from you!” – Bellatrix snaps.

“- There’s no need to snap, Bellatrix, it was just a human gesture. But fine, you don’t nothing, then I’ll go to bed. Have a goodnight doing whatever you do to entertain yourself.” – Hermione says annoyed.

“- Wait!” – The dark witch says, grabbing the girl’s arm when she moved to leave the room. Bellatrix felt a funny sensation in the pit her stomach when her hand closed on the young witch's arm, making her grip tight even more on the arm. “- I’m a little hungry, alright?!” – She admits.

“- Alright, it’s no biggie, Bellatrix. Wouldn't want to you starved yourself to death before you could tell me your side of the story, would I?” – Hermione says, trying to soothe the older witch. “- However, I’ll need my arm back and you’re hurting me, Bellatrix.” – The girl adds, when she realizes that the other witch has made no move to release her.

Bellatrix releases the younger witch arm as if she were on fire. She was not blind, the girl had a certain appeal, and she was beautiful. At this, the raven haired woman just shakes her hair trying to clear her thoughts, she didn't like the girl. “ _She was muddy; a mudblood. No, not anymore. Now, she has Rosier blood, just like me. And McMillan blood.”_ The older woman debated internally with herself.

Following the young witch into the kitchen, she quickly snaps herself from her trance and sat at the table waiting for whatever the girl was going to prepare for her although she couldn't help but notice the exotic colors that made up the young witch's eyes, just as her strawberry hair contrasted perfectly with her skin, feeling a strange and enormous urge to run her hands over it and grab it tightly.

“- Your boyfriend didn't seem very happy with the last choices you made.” – Bellatrix tried to ask casually.

“- I’m sorry, my boyfriend?” – Asked back a very confused Hermione.

“- Yes, the youngest _Weasel_ boy.” - Bellatrix replied, watching the girl closely. Hermione, who was preparing dinner on the counter, turned in disbelief and, laughing, answered:

“-Oh, this is just preposterous! Ron definitely is not my boyfriend. We're just friends. We've never dated before and never will.” – Ceasing the giggles, the girl adds: “-And just to be clear, I don't care what others may think, as long as I believe in what I'm doing.” - She says, turning back to the counter. “- However, why did you think he was my boyfriend?” – Still with her back to her, Hermione asks.

“-Pure and simple curiosity for what I have heard from my nephew since I left Azkaban.” - The dark witch responds, knowing that it would encourage the girl to continue talking.

“-Draco never struck me as the gossip type although I can't be surprised that even that he didn't manage to do right. He couldn't be more wrong. Ron never interested me.” - The young witch replies absently.

“- Is that so? Why? Please, don’t tell me you that you’re in love with the orphan boy.” - Bellatrix says, measuring each word on purpose.

“- Hey! Bellatrix, that was mean! And of course I’m not in love with Harry, he’s like a brother to me!” - Hermione says indignantly.

“– So nervous! Well, you can't blame me if I don't really believe in that, after all, you spent almost an entire year in a tent with two teenage boys.” - The older witch said with a wicked smile.

“- Okay, first, Ron left us shortly after the start; second, they don't interest me, in fact, none of them would ever interest me. No boy interests me.” - As soon as the last words come out of her mouth, Hermione accidentally drops the cutlery she was holding and, in shock, covers her mouth with her hands. Seeing the reaction she caused in the young witch and satisfied to get exactly the answers she wanted, the black-haired witch smiles wickedly and says in a whisper: “- Oh, don't worry, darling, I'll not say a word to anyone.” - She finishes with a smirk.

Hermione, not knowing what to say and not wanting to expose herself further, returns all her attention to finishing preparing dinner, relieved to have chosen something simple and quick. Almost ten minutes later, the silence is broken by the older witch's voice, expressing her confusion with the plate placed in front of her: “- What exactly is this?” – She asks.

“- It’s just some pasta with cheese.” - Hermione answers simply, at first not understanding the older witch's confusion, but seeing her expression, she adds: “-Er, Bellatrix, have you never eaten this?”

“-Of course not! Have you forgotten that I'm a pure-blood witch?!” - Bellatrix says, poking the food with her fork.

“-And how the bloody hell would I know that you pure-bloods don't know what a simple pasta is?! And stop playing with your food! Eat, you'll like it.” – The young witch says in exasperation. Bellatrix just glares at her. Seeing that her words did not have the desired effect, the girl said in a softer voice: “- Please, Bellatrix.” - With that, the dark witch raises her fork to her mouth, still somewhat uncertain, but as soon as she becomes aware of the taste, she quickly devours the entire meal. After that, it was not long before both witches went to their respective rooms, the day had been quite exhausting.

The following days passed uneventfully, for three days in a row, Hermione taught the basics of the muggle world to her so that she can move around alone in the apartment, the two witches ended up mutually agreeing to a friendly coexistence, for the sake of each other's mental health one. Although, thanks to this coexistence, the young witch noticed some signs in the worrying black-haired witch that could be the explanation for the older witch's peculiar personality. Hermione made a mental note to explore this further before exposing her findings.

On the morning of the fourth day that Bellatrix was living under her roof, Hermione received a letter from Harry stating that he was with Teddy and asking her to spend the day with them. So, the strawberry-haired witch found herself in front of the door of the dark witch's room, waiting for it to open after knocking.

“-I hope there is a great explanation for why you are knocking on my door at this hour, like, for example, you are choking to death.” - Said the older witch, with the curls of her hair completely wild, a black satin robe with a long sleeve, barely covering her body, her feet and legs were bare. Hermione couldn't help but look, her cheeks growing red. Seeing the effect that her appearance had on the younger witch, Bellatrix gave a sly grin. “- Well? Don’t tell me the cat got your tongue, muddy? Oh my, are you really choking? Although I must say, crimson suits you, darling.” - The older witch adds wickedly.

Hermione gathering her senses, finally manage to say something: “- What? No! Bellatrix, it’s almost _ten o’clock in the morning_ , were you still sleeping?!” - But before the other witch could answer, the girl continues: “- You know what? Don’t answer that, that’s not what I came here for. Listen, I’ll need to leave and maybe I’ll be out for the day, will you be able to be okay without blowing everything up?” - Hermione says a little anxiously.

“- Where are you going?” – The older witch asks, narrowing her eyes and frowning in suspicion. She doesn't like that at all. She knew very well that if the girl were to leave, it would be to meet her so-called friends. “ _Surely they would begin to whispering unpleasant things into the young witch's ear, trying to keep her away from me. It was so long ago that someone was that close and she's always so eager to make everything right and so easy to mess up with her emotions.”_ Bellatrix's emotions and thoughts were a complete mess towards the girl.

“-Not that it's any of your business, but I'm meeting with Harry and Teddy.” - The girl says defensively.

“-Just these two? What about my traitorous sister?” - The older witch's voice sounded accusingly.

“-Unfortunately, Andromeda had to work, as did Tonks. Harry is babysitting and I will help him. Now, could you answer me, please? Will you be alright?” - The girl asked impatiently.

“- Yes, yes. **I** will let you go.” - The older witch said with a vicious smile. “- But, be a good girl and be back on time to make dinner.” – She adds, closing the door with admirable speed.

Hermione stood there for a few moments, the expression of pure shock frozen on her face. She couldn’t, would not play the Bellatrix mind game. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she took a few deep breaths, deciding that it would be better to ignore what just happened.

\-----------------------------------------------

Grimmauld Place was still dreadfully oppressive, _“this place really benefits from a renovation_ ” Hermione thought as she entered the old house, she could feel the magic humming in the air, not too happy with the sloppiness the place has endured in recent years. Continuing down the corridor, she followed a child's crying into the living room, where she found Harry completely desperate trying to calm an angry baby.

“- Hermione! Please, help me! I don't know what to do anymore, I've tried everything!” – Harry pleads, almost crying too.

“- It’s alright, Harry, just give me the baby.” – She says between giggles, taking the babe in her arms, rocking while singing softly. The girl smiled when she was rewarded with Teddy's attention completely turned to her and a goofy smile, the crying had stopped.

Harry, sitting on the couch completely gobsmacked, asked: “- _How_ did you do it?! Do you know how long I've been trying to make him stop crying?! My god, my godson hates me!” - He says completely defeated, trying to straighten his messy hair.

“- Harry! Stop it!” - Hermione managed to say between contained laughs trying not to scare little Teddy. She also adds: “-Sometimes I worked as a nanny for my neighbors when I spent summers at home. That’s my secret.” – She says rolling her eyes playfully.

The day passed without incident, thanks to Hermione. She taught Harry the basics and the two managed to keep Teddy under control. After lunch, while Teddy was taking a nap, the two were in the kitchen sitting at the table, talking, until Hermione caught a glimpse of the latest edition of the Daily Prophet. She quickly picked up the newspaper before the wizard could hide, her fists clenching on the paper harder and harder as her anger rose.

“- Hermione, I’m so sorry, I tried to hide it, but I think I was not so successful.” - The boy says fearful of the explosion reaction that he knows will happen.

“-How long has he been doing this?” – She asks.

“-Hermione, you know how he is…” – Harry says trying to minimize the damage.

“-Harry, I'm going to ask you just one more time. How long has he been spreading all these lies?” - She says dryly.

Sighing in defeat, the wizard replied: “-The first report came out two days ago, he told his version of what happened when we were running away, as if he had never abandoned us and how he had the great idea about the symbol of the deathly relics being intertwined with what Voldemort wanted, as well as he was the one who orchestrated the plan to invade Gringotts. Hermione, I don't know why he did this, let alone why he gave another false interview saying that you were dating.”

The girl's whole body vibrated in restrained anger. “ _After everything she’d done and ignored for the sake of their friendship! That ridiculous jealous boy!”_ She thought decidedly.

“-That’s it. I'm done with him! I will no longer accept any offense from that ridiculous man's excuse. I'm not that scared eleven-year-old girl anymore, Harry.”- She says coldly.

“-I understand, Hermione. I’ll talk to him.” - He says trying to calm down his friend.

“- There’s no need, Harry, I'll work it out with him, but in my own way.” - She says firmly, ending this matter.

“- So, changing the subject… When are you going to look for a place to live?” - She says smiling.

“- What do you mean?” - Harry's asks, completely taken aback.

“-Well, you know you can't keep living here, don't you? I mean, don't get me wrong Harry, but you are rich, so it's not like you need any of this and you know, there are still real Black heirs.” - The girl says in a tone as if it were an obvious conclusion.

“-But, Hermione, Sirius lived here, he gave it to me.” The wizard said nervously.

“-Harry, Sirius hated this place, don't you remember that he ran away from home and moved in with his father at the Potter residence? Harry, Sirius hated this place, don't you remember that he ran away from home and moved in with his father at the Potter residence? In addition to the fact that by rights this should be someone with direct descent. You don't have to cling to a house that even Sirius couldn't stand to feel close to him, Harry. And, you know, as a Black Lord, you can and must restore Andromeda to the family. Why haven't you done this yet?”

“-I ... I didn't even know it was possible. Can I really do that?” - He asks surprised.

“-Didn't you really read any book about the customs of pure-blood families while we were at Hogwarts, Harry? Yes, you can do that. In fact, you have an obligation to do this.” – The girl replies.

“-Could we do it now, Hermione, please? I don't want to mess up.” – He asked.

“- Of course, Harry. Let's do the right thing one more time, shall we?” – The girl says smiling.

Taking a look to see if Teddy was still sleeping, the two headed towards the room that had the family tree on the wall. Once there, Hermione helped Harry with the words to cancel Andromeda's ban, both watching with bewildered curiosity as the older witch's face became clear little by little until it was possible to discern it completely. They did not know that far from there, the said witch felt a pang in her chest and, as if she had been given a quick shock, she got the family magic buzzing through her body after all these years.

The rest of the afternoon passed calmly, Harry promised that he would think about the conversation they had about the fate of Grimmauld Place, they played and spoiled Teddy until Tonks arrived to pick him up, thanking the two friends for taking care of him. After Teddy left, Hermione said goodbye to Harry, using the Floo Network, she emerged out of the fireplace in the living room of her own apartment a few seconds later.

“-Miss McMillan, exactly who I was hoping to find.” - The silky voice of the first and only Narcissa Malfoy reached her ears, causing her to stop in surprise, which only increased when she also saw the other two sisters sitting casually on the couch.


	9. Bedtime Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I would like to thank everyone who is following and reading this far! You guys are awesome, thank you so much! Second, I hope you like this new chapter, as I promise this is a longer chapter, even though I took longer to post, again, so sorry about it, but life happens and I am not always able to dedicate as much time I would like every day, unfortunately. Also, sadly, all mistakes are mine.   
> P.s.: about the lyrics I put in, obviously it doesn't belong to me and for anyone who wants to listen, this is it: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Dream A Little Dream Of Me.

After the girl left, Bellatrix occupied her day with basic care: bathing, breakfast and lunch. At the moment she was sitting in a chair on the apartment's balcony, watching the Leaky Cauldron distantly, but the sound of someone knocking on the front door caught her attention. With a certain curiosity and hoping to be the red-haired boy Weasel, she was itching to torment him, she calmly walked to the door, opening it, not hiding the surprise at seeing who is on the other side.

“- Hello, sister.” – The first one said.

“- Bellatrix.” – The second one said. “- Aren’t you going to invite us in?” – The second adds.

“- No, not really. What the hell are you doing here?!” – Bellatrix asks feeling her irritation build up inside her.

“-Honestly, Bellatrix, were you raised by wolves? Don't forget your manners, I can easily have a word with mother about this. You do remember her, don't you?” – Narcissa said in a cold voice.

“… Fine! Come in, since it's so important.” – Bellatrix said reluctantly, making room for her sisters to enter.

The three witches sat in the living room, Bellatrix showing all her irritation in her expression, but the other two with an impassive face. “- So? Won't you tell me the reason for this merry party? What are you doing with this filthy traitorous, Cissy? Fraternizing with the enemy now, are we?” - Bellatrix mocked, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

“- Do you need to be so rude all the time?” – Narcissa scolded her older sister again.

“- No. But I do it for the fun.” – Bellatrix smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“-That’s enough of this waste of time! Let’s get down to business, shall we?” - Andy said exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“-Yes, let's cut all that crap, again, what are you two doing here? And be brief, the mudblood girl will be back soon.” - The first sister Black asked sharply.

“-Why don't you want the young Miss McMillan to find us here? Shall I remind you that she already knows us?” - Andy taunted her older sister. “- Oh, I'm sure she would love to hear what we know about you. All those girls, Bellatrix, so young... Just like our little witch is. Isn't that right? She trusts me, but you already know that. Do you notice the way her body responds to my touch? It's so pleasant! A true delight indeed.” - Andromeda defiantly says each word with a pretentious smile.

“- We will **not** enter this competition again. That’s not what we’re here for. Did you two understand? Don’t make me fetch mother.” - The blonde woman said getting up, looking at her two older sisters severely. At this point, Bellatrix was fuming inside, her hands clenched into fists, her pale constitution slightly tinged with red by restrained anger. She was staring murderously at Andromeda.

“-Bella, I suppose you already know the news, don't you?” - Narcissa asked, snapping her fingers in front of her older sister to get her attention.

“- What’re you talking about?” - Bellatrix asked, still casting one last look towards Andromeda.

“-Didn't you feel a disturbance in your magic?” - Narcissa asked calmly, receiving only a silent nod in response. “- Well, Andy is back in the family. Its ban was officially lifted and now she’s a Black once again with all rights.” - The youngest said at once, knowing it would not be worth procrastinating to inform Bellatrix.

“- What did you just said?” – Asked an incredulous dark witch, moving her gaze to give her youngest sister her full attention now.

“- You heard perfectly fine what I just said, Bella, although we don’t know how or who yet, that fact is undeniable. I saw the family tapestry in the Black Manor before I came here. It was for this reason that we came here.” – Narcissa explained.

“-Who would be foolish enough to go against me? I made this banish for a reason!” - Bellatrix said irritably, increasing the timbre of her voice. “ _This afternoon is becoming a terrible headache”_ she thought.

“-And now the reason you did it is dead, in fact, both are.” – Narcissa quickly counters coldly.

“-Of course, no need to be so sentimental, sister. After all, it was just my husband and our father.” - Andy said, reproaching her younger sister.

“-Oh, please Andromeda, there's no reason for such drama. You divorced Edward by choice and, if I remember correctly, you only married him to escape your engagement to Rabastan Lestrange. And you know that we all share the same opinion about our _dear_ father.” - Narcissa replies, rolling her eyes.

“-Still, it means that someone passed over me and that simply won't do. After all, I am the oldest Black alive, or am I not?” – Bellatrix said intensely.

“- So what? Are you going to kill whoever made that decision? Just because you haven't been consulted before? Are you not happy to have me in the family again, my _lovely caring_ _sister_?” - Andromeda asked in a mixture of irritation and mockery.

“- Do you think I’m idiot? Don’t you know me at all? Of course I'm not going to kill whoever made that decision, at least not before I know who and why. About being happy to have you back in the family, it will depend on your actions. Are you going to leave your family again if things don't go as you want, Andy?” - Bellatrix asked in a sickening sweet childish voice.

At that moment, before the other two Black sisters could say anything in response to Bellatrix, the large fireplace roared with life when green flames appeared on that space, bringing the young witch with them. Three pairs of eyes automatically turned to see who had arrived.

“- I’m sorry, but, what’s going on here?” - Asked the young witch apprehensively, having no idea what Narcissa Malfoy, no, is Black now too, after the divorce, could want with her. “ _There’re too many Blacks in my house._ _Did I get into a wormhole when I used the Floo Network? Is that even a thing?! Don’t be ridiculous, Hermione. Perhaps it’s just an alternative universe.”_ – She thought. The three Black witches stared at the young girl, but it was Andromeda who stood up, walking towards the girl, enveloping her in a tight hug, which was promptly reciprocated by the strawberry-haired girl. They couldn't see it, but Bellatrix was throwing daggers with her eyes towards their embrace.

Knowing her older sister's temperament, Narcissa quickly took over the situation, trying to regain Hermione’s attention, she says: “- Miss McMillan, if I may, we would like to discuss an issue with you.” - The blonde witch breathed a sigh of relief when the hug was instantly broken and the girl walked towards her, sitting in a nearby armchair, followed by Andromeda, who had a victorious smirk on her face towards her older sister, choosing to sit next to her younger sister.

“- Did something happen?” – The girl asks. “- Please, don’t tell me that Bellatrix did something wrong.” - She pinches her nose bridge. With that, Bellatrix turns to her in a fake disbelief and asks: "- Why do you possibly think that I've done something?"

“- That’s maybe because your two sisters are currently sitting on my couch?”- Looking at her, the girl promptly countered.

“-Miss McMillan, we’re here because a very unusual event regarding our family took place this afternoon. You see, the Black family magic is a very old thing and very tactical, we can sense when changes are made, even the smallest one. Considering that, imagine our surprise when we felt the unmistaken tingle of magic that shooted by our body this afternoon and the surprise, mind you, only got bigger when we discovered that Andromeda was back in the family once more.” - Narcissa pinned the young girl with her gaze and asked: “- By any chance, would you happen to know how that occurred?”

“-Well, it's a good thing that I came back then, right? Since I made it happen.” - The girl nervously swallowed the lump in her throat caused by the intensity of the look she was receiving from all three at this point.

“- Oh, did you? Please, humor us them, darling. Tell us how.” - Narcissa said in a low voice.

“-So, I don't know if you all know but after Sirius died, he passed all of his possessions to Harry, including his power as head of the family.” - At that point, Bellatrix mumbled something that sounded a lot like _"that ungrateful idiot had no right"_ , deliberately ignoring the black-haired witch's growls of anger, the girl continued: “-Despite being raised in a Muggle family, I still understand the concept and the importance that the feeling of belonging somewhere has on a person, that feeling of knowing their origins. Now, I may not have had any sibling but I imagine that after being raised together with one, the feeling just doesn't go away because someone has been kicked out of the family, which, by the way, is barbaric.

So I just talked to Harry about my point of view and explained to him the reasons why he shouldn't accept what Sirius did, which led us to restore Andy to the family. And… I may have mentioned that I also disagree with his current position as head of the family, since he’s not a Black by blood directly as you are and, unlike him, this is the only family that you have.” - Hermione was holding her breath at the end of the explanation, now no longer so sure of herself that she had done something good.

The three sisters were watching the young witch with inquisitive eyes, each mentally pondering everything they had just heard. The first of the three, Bellatrix, no longer thought of murdering the person who had done this, although she was completely shocked that someone would worry that the Blacks cared so much about their blood. She was regarding the strawberry-haired girl with new eyes. “ _This one certainly was something else”_ , she decided right there that the girl was worthy for her full attention.

The second Black, Andromeda, alternated her gaze between her older sister and the young witch. Since she met Hermione, she always knew that the girl was of great value, a brilliant mind and the time just showed that she was not wrong. Every time she is in the company of the young woman, the desire to have her becomes even greater, but of course she would never confess it out loud, especially now that her older sister was on the scene too. It wouldn't do anyone any good if Bella also started to take an interest in her, she could still remember how Bella handled her "conquests", especially if she had to compete for it, it never ended well.

Finally, the third Black, Narcissa, knowing the two older sisters, already knew that this young witch would be a problem if not controlled properly. For the first time in years, someone other than her son truly impressed her although she shouldn’t have expected less from someone who spent years and years since childhood keeping troubled two boys alive. She looked at the girl, watching as her mint-colored eyes were lighter with concern, as she nervously curled her hair in her fingers, “ _she became a beautiful young woman indeed”_ , yes, she could clearly see where her older sister's liking for the young witch came from.

The girl, who at this point was ready to return to Grimmauld Place and undo everything, was startled when a laugh started to echo in the room, cutting the dead silence. She turned to look in complete disbelief at the former Death Eater though before she could say anything, Narcissa’s rich, melodic voice filled the room: “-Quite frankly, Bellatrix, do you really must act like a complete crazy person all the time? Would it be too much to ask you to act as sane person?”

“-Do you really want to ask a crazy person to act like a normal person?” - Andromeda asked in false concern.

“-You two are not fun at all.” - Bellatrix said to the sisters and then, turning to the young witch who was seeing all this puzzled, she said: “-Since my sisters have so eloquently told me to act like a normal person, I personally thank you for doing what no one else would do, you don't know how important we feel about the Black blood. It is everything to us. Although I do not appreciate the gesture being made behind my back, reversing _my_ decision without my consent, I still extend my gratitude to you. The three of us owe you a debt for that, Miss McMillan.” - Bellatrix ended her little speech by standing up and extending her hand to the girl.

The girl also stands up, a little flustered by all the attention, and delicately shakes the older witch's hand. “-There is no need for any debt, Miss Black, although I must remind you that I am still waiting for your share of the story.” - The girl responds formally.

“- Alright! I'm glad it all worked out. Hermione, can I speak to you privately?” - Andromeda's deep voice rang out in the room, cutting off the contact between the girl and the former Death Eater, just as she wanted.

“- Of course, Andy, let’s just go to my room.” – The young woman replies with a smile but she also adds: “-It's almost dinner time, would you both like to join us?” - She asked alternating her gaze between Narcissa and Andromeda, the last one just nodded.

“-I wouldn't want to impose.” - Narcissa answered in a voice that sounded like liquid velvet, the young witch did not understand how anyone could have such a melodious voice.

“- Nonsense! It would be no imposition. In fact it would be a pleasure, Miss Black. Please, I’m sure Bellatrix would love it.” – The girl replies smiling.

“- Worried about my happiness, dear? I'm touched. Maybe I should reward you later for being so thoughtful.” - The former Death Eater said with a wolfish grim.

“-There's no need, thank you. Though, could you please order something for us all, Bellatrix?” – The girl asked and without waiting for an answer, she added: “- Thank you!” - She finished, walking towards the room, followed closely by Andy.

\-------------------------------------------

In the bedroom, Hermione shares a bed with Andromeda, the former sitting against the headboard and the other sitting at the foot of the bed. “-Are you truly alright with everything that's going on darling?” - Andromeda asks worriedly, she had noticed the lost and angry look of the younger witch as soon as she took the first step out of the fireplace. “-You know that I'm always here for you, talk to me, please.” - She asks gently, reaching for the younger woman's hand and given a little squeeze.

“-I'm fine... It's just that so much has suddenly changed... Most of the time I don't know who I am anymore. Am I Hermione Granger? Or am I Alison McMillan? I never planned what I would do after the war because I honestly didn't think I was going to survive. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my life. Who am I, Andromeda?” – She asked with eyes shining with tears.

The older witch quickly moved closer to the young witch, bringing her into a hug, while calmly stroking the young witch's back, she said: “-Frankly darling, it would be strange if the weight of everything that happened did not fall on you sooner or later. You worry too much, my darling girl. Although you were raised under the name Hermione Granger, you are actually Alison McMillan, but keep in mind that just because your name has changed does not mean that you have also changed as a person.

All the education and values that your parents, and by parents I mean the Grangers, are not canceled because you have accepted your true story and also all the experiences and memories that Hermione Granger has are also not canceled because you accepted to become Alison McMillan. Darling, if I may speak the truth, the fact alone that you decided to embrace your true life makes me admire you even more. It takes a lot of courage to accept such a rough change in someone's life, which only proves that you're indeed a Gryffindor.” - The youngest woman chuckles a little through tears at this.

“-You are the bravest and most intelligent young woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You will pass your final tests and I’m sure you will get the highest score in all of your N.E.W.T.s., well, and after that? You have your whole life to find out what you want to work with, what you want to do. There’s no rush for anything and knowing how you’re, there’s no doubt that you’ll be excellent at anything you put your brilliant mind on. I am very proud to know you and to be a part of your life, Miss Alison McMillan.” - Andromeda whispered the name of the strawberry-haired witch in her ear.

The young woman was unable to dispel the chill that ran through her body, but she was grateful for the words she heard, even though they caused a strange mixture of comfort and a curious desire to know what it would be like to touch the lips of the other witch. Although she does not understand where this last thought came from, she deliberately chose to ignore and compartmentalize that information.

“-Thank you so much for everything, Andy, I don't know what I would do without you. I don't think anyone would understand what I'm feeling at the moment, not even Harry, despite his efforts.” - The girl says, giving the hug a last squeeze, but before she could completely withdraw her arms, the black-haired witch leans over and places a light kiss on the corner of the girl's mouth. “- It was my _pleasure_ , darling.” - The woman whispers in the young witch's ear.

And it was exactly in this position that Bellatrix found them both when she opened the door at once, startling the two witches who were there and it was possible to see a vein pulsing on her forehead when she asked in a low, serious tone: “- What’s going on here?”

“- Nothing’s happening here, Bellatrix. I assume that you came to tell us that dinner’s ready, shall we?” - Andromeda replied even before the girl could open her mouth to say anything, already getting up and leaving.

With no further options, the young witch silently rose to leave, but as she passed the former Death Eater, her movement was abruptly stopped when Bellatrix entered in front of her, causing the girl's body to collide against hers. She would have fallen if it weren't for two arms that held her tightly in place. Once again, before she could elaborate any sentence, the older witch spoke first: “-Listen to me honey, I don't know what the two of you are playing at, but I would be very careful when dealing with my sister. She may seem friendly, but well... She is a Black, isn't she? Now, did you understand what I said?”

Not knowing how to respond and feeling nervous and a little scared by the sudden approach of the dark witch, the girl just managed to nod her head affirmatively, they went to dinner without further words.

Dinner, oddly enough, went on without any incident between the three Black sisters and the young witch. After what happened in the bedroom, she was almost expecting the next bizarre situation, having already gone through it with the two black-haired witches, now she was just expecting something equally odd between her and the younger Black sister to happen. The young witch spent most of her time during the meal in silence, just watching the three sisters interact with each other, telling stories about their childhood. At the end of the dinner, Narcissa and Andromeda profusely thanked her for the invitation, insisting they would clean all the dishes, which they did, magically, so after cleaning, the two witches in question said their goodbyes and used the Floo Network to leave.

\----------------------------------------------

Later that night, the strawberry-haired girl was sitting on the porch, watching the city move more slowly by the late hour, when the dark witch's deep voice echoed in the room, rivaling the sound of the vinyl record she filled the environment smoothly:

_“Stars shining bright above you_

_Night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’_

_Birds singing in the sycamore tree_

_Dream a little dream of me (…)”_

“-If you're up to I can tell you my story now, Hermione.” – She says, stepping in on the balcony when the girl looks at her, holding out a glass of wine to her.

_“Say nighty-night and kiss me_

_Just hold me tight and tell me you’ll miss me_

_While I’m alone and blue as can be_

_Dream a little dream of me (…)”_

The girl accepted the glass of wine, taking a small sip she gestured towards another chair and said: “-Please, I would love to hear. Although, it is no longer Hermione. It's Alison, you can call me by my real name from now on.

Bellatrix give the girl a wolfish grin and said: “-Accepting fate, are we?” - The other witch just nodded. Suddenly the former Death Eater became serious and she asked: “- This will be a rather long story, are you truly ready?” Once again, the girl just nodded.

“-You see, in my family what matters is the purity of the blood above anything, below that are the sons. For a Black, one of the biggest humiliations is not having a son as an heir to pass on the bloodline. So, imagine my father's happiness when he was presented with a daughter as a firstborn and not a son, as he wanted. Things only got worse when Andromeda and then Narcissa came. Meanwhile, his sister, my aunt Walburga managed to conceive not one, but two sons. In his mind, he became the joke among all the friends. After Narcissa's birth, he was so angry that I thought he was going to kill us all. Sometimes I wonder if mother did it on purpose. She hated father, vehemently, even before they were married., she was proud to be a Rosier. On second thought, it’s a bit ironic that both my cousins are dead and only my sister and I remain alive.” - The raven-haired witch laughed at this.

“- Bellatrix, focus, please.” – The younger witch scolded.

“- Yes, sorry, _Alie_.” - The former Death Eater said mischievously, just getting an eye roll in response from the other witch. “-Anyway, continuing with my happy story, at that time and, mainly in that aristocratic family, daughters only served as a bargaining chip, a type of possession that could be sold if the right price was offered, regardless of who offered it, only mattered how much it offered, as long as it’s one of the families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, of course.

You see, my father was a very, very old-fashioned man, extremely strict and resentful, so obviously he thought it was my mother's fault and also in his twisted mind, he also blamed me and my sisters for being born a woman. Over time, he became an increasingly violent and resentful man. I can't remember a day when there was no fight in that house.

I can see on your face that you're wondering what kind of man this was, so... Do you believe that my father once wouldn't let me eat anything for a whole week just because I didn't like the soup that was served at a dinner at dear aunt Walburga's house? I was six years old. That was the kind of father Cygnus was. He beat my mother. He also beat me and my sisters, which led mother to hit us too. I tried to protect my sisters. I really tried to do this my whole life in that hellish hole. When my father informed me about the arrangements he'd made with the Lestrange family, getting me and Andromeda a betrothal contract, I realized that I could never really get rid of the chains that held us to him. We would go from one hell to another, Rabastan and Rodolphus shared the same views as my father.

Of course, I thought about killing him, but that wouldn't do any good, since I didn't want to trade my freedom for a life sentence in Azkaban, other than that it also wouldn't change the fact that Andy would still have to marry Rabastan. And no, I also couldn't run away. I couldn't take Narcissa and Andromeda with me because my father would have everyone looking for us and would accuse me of kidnapping.

Desperate, I went after the only person I thought could help me. I was young and didn’t know that I was making one of the biggest mistakes of my life.” - She paused to take a long sip of the wine. It wasn't easy to relive unsavory memories.

“- The great Albus Dumbledore. Ah! What a joke. You see, Dumbledore was always a greedy little man. He always wanted power, he always wanted to be the one who made all the decisions about everyone's life and after the adoration that people came to have for him after the fall of Grindelwald, his thirst for power only increased. He was **never** a great man, but a great manipulator. I told him all the abuse that my father committed to me and my sisters and begged for help, I thought he was going to give us some refuge in some distant place or take the case to the Wizengamot; after all, he was basically the Wizengamot himself, since he was the Chief Warlock.

But, no, oh, how **wrong** I was. He distorted all the few good things I owned. He made me lose FOURTEEN YEARS of my life! Like Severus, he blackmailed me to be his spy. Who's better than a witch from The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black? In his sick head, everything was justified as long as he was seen as the savior. I would have to do my part, I would have to join the boy's club and gain Tom's trust. Obviously I also had to get married. If I played my part well, he would keep my sisters out of our father's reach.

I did my part of the "contract" perfectly well, but he didn't; my sisters were still required to spend the summer at Black Manor. Andromeda couldn't stand to stay there for long and that's why she ran away. I know everyone thinks it was because of the supposed forbidden love she felt for the mudblood boy, but the dirty truth is that she just used him for that.” – At this, the younger witch gasped.

“-Wait a minute, what are you saying now? You're kidding, right? - The girl asked incredulously, her glass of wine stopped in the air halfway to her mouth.

Bellatrix just chuckles a little. “- Oh yes, she just did it. People tend to forget that she **is** a Black through and through. All that friendly and charismatic facade? It’s just that, a facade.”

The young witch was almost scandalized by the discovery, her expression showing all the surprise she felt. “-Please, don't tell me that Narcissa's Ice Queen persona is also a facade.” - She says in a defeated expression. “- I don't think I could handle it.”

“-Oh, it's so easy to mess up with you, how delightful!” – Bellatrix says with a malicious grin. Summoning a bottle of wine with a wordless and wandless spell, she completed the young witch's glass and then filled her own, purposefully ignoring the pointed look that she was receiving from the girl for using magic when she was supposed not to.

Emptying the glass at once, she refilled it, cleared her throat and said: “- So, continuing, when I heard about the Dark Lord's plans, I mean, Tom Riddle, I was the one who warned Severus, so yes, I was the first blackmailed guinea pig of that old goat. And don't make that face. Anyone knew of the unrequited love he felt for Lily Evans.

And don't make that face. Anyone knew of the unrequited love he felt for Lily Evans. I thought that when Dumbledore knew that Tom planned to murder a baby, he would take some real action, like facing Tom in a real duel, maybe kill him or arrest him, I mean, he did had the Elder Wand at the time. But no, he did absolutely nothing. He knew that Pettigrew would not serve to keep a secret from someone like Dark Lord, but he still managed to convince everyone to make him the secret keeper. Any choice would be better than that. As useless as my cousin was, I know that he really would rather die than hand over the Potters. Not to mention that even the old goat itself could be the secret keeper.

His interest was **not** to end the war because he still wouldn’t gain any glory from it. So when Pettigrew told absolutely everything after 2 minutes under the Cruciatus curse, I knew I didn't have much time to try to fix it. Tom went straight to Godric’s Hollow and I went to Longbottom, my last hope was to tell Alice and Frank Longbottom everything.

But, I didn't have enough time to tell them about all the blackmail and my real alliance, the Lestrange brothers arrived shortly after me completely enraged, shouting that the Dark Lord had fallen, asking where he was and threatening to burn down the whole house with everyone inside. In a way, Frank and Alice's fate was my fault, I said I would get their son out of there and come back to help them. Frank didn't want to let me go because he didn't quite believe what I managed to share, but Alice believed me, although I still don't understand how. But I kept my word, I managed to get the baby out of there without any scratches, I left him at the door of his grandmother's house. When I came back to help them, it was too late and the house was full of Aurors and they arrested me. Just before my trial, Dumbledore used my sisters' life to blackmail me, or rather, threaten me.

“-Is that why you never defended yourself or assumed anything?” - The young witch asked. Her head was spinning, there was so much information to absorb that she still didn't know what to do with everything that had been revealed so far.

“- Well, yes, I thought it would be better to remain silent and accept my destiny if that was the price I would pay to keep my sisters safe. Dumbledore was an extremely dangerous old manipulator. I had to put up with Narcissa marrying the useless Lucius and I was forced to banish my own sister from the family. At least they would be left alone and far, far away from our father. Although I must say that I am impressed that you read about my judgment.” - Said the black-haired witch, it was possible to see how much all of this exhausted her.

“-Anyway, when Voldemort resurfaced and freed me from Azkaban, all I wanted was revenge. Dumbledore forced me to play the role of a dark witch so well that I became one thanks to him. The rest you already know, you were there.” - She says, finishing drinking the wine and getting up. “-I'm going to let you think about it, good night, _Alison_.”

The young witch was so bewildered that when she managed to answer back, there was no one else but her. She had a lot to think about.


End file.
